Spotify

Spotify is still working on its hi-fi audio plans, according to CEO Daniel Ek. The company first announced hi-fi support in early 2021, but they’re apparently still “in early days.” And the kicker? The hi-fi (or ‘deluxe’) version of Spotify will cost nearly $20/month.

Today Spotify is debuting a big change for podcasts on its platform: comments. Now listeners can comment on any episode inside the Spotify app and creators can respond to their audience with ease.

After increasing its prices across the board a few weeks ago, Spotify has now announced a new “Basic” tier for $10.99 per month in the United States. This plan, Spotify says, offers all of the same Spotify Premium benefits, but without the monthly audiobook listening time.

Including audiobooks in the premium tier is nothing more than a Spotify scam, say music publishers, intended to cheat consumers and music labels alike.

They say the sole purpose of adding audiobooks into the subscription was to find an excuse for charging consumers more while paying music labels less …

The rivalry between Apple Music and Spotify has been intense and grown over the years. So where do things stand in 2024? CIRP is out with a new report that reveals what percentage of Apple device owners subscribe to Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.

Spotify is once again raising the price of Spotify Premium in the United States. Although the ad-supported free tier remains available, the price of Spotify’s Premium tier is now more expensive than Apple Music. Spotify customers will be notified of the increases over the next month.

Spotify Premium Individual is now priced at $11.99 per month, compared to $10.99 per month for Apple Music. The Family plan price is also up and now costs $19.99, compared to $16.99 for Apple Music Family …

Apple said back in March that it would appeal the $2B antitrust fine levied against it by the EU in respect of a complaint made by Spotify, and it is now reported to have filed its lawsuit.

It’s the latest example of the iPhone maker taking an aggressive stance against competition law on both sides of the Atlantic …

Spotify is being accused of engaging in “direct infringement by hosting unlicensed musical works in its lyrics, videos and podcasts” by the National Music Publishers Association. In a new letter sent to the music streaming service this week, the NMPA alleges that Spotify “distributes music videos and podcasts using musical works without the consent of or compensation.”

More than three years after Spotify lossless audio was first promised by the company, it still hasn’t launched. There have been multiple reports since, and the latest of these claims that the service is now very close to launching.

We’ve also heard three different brand names suggested. The company originally announced it as Spotify HiFi, then we heard Music Pro, and today’s report says it will be called Spotify Lossless …

Yesterday we learned that Spotify decided to pass on Apple’s new EU terms that would allow it to use alternative payment methods due to the Core Technology Fee. Instead, it submitted an app update with pricing info and details on how to subscribe outside of the App Store without giving users a link. Now Spotify says Apple has unjustly blocked the update and again “defied the European Commission”.

Apple was hit with a $2 billion fine in the European Union last month for “abusive” App Store rules for music streaming services. In addition to the fine, the European Commission also said Apple must relax its anti-steering rules.

As reported by TechCrunch, Spotify has submitted a new update to its app that includes pricing information for users in the EU. Spotify also says that it is not planning to opt into Apple’s new business terms in the European Union offered in response to the Digital Markets Act.

A recent report revealed that Spotify is planning to raise the price of its subscription soon, at least in some countries. And for those who think that paying $10.99 a month for a music streaming platform is already too much, the company may soon introduce an even more expensive “Music Pro” subscription that will enable lossless audio and some other extra features.

Spotify’s AI DJ feature launched more than a year ago now, but users had little control over it. A new AI Playlist feature changes that for beta uses, as you can now create playlists from ChatGPT-style text prompts.

Spotify recommends specifying a combination of genres, moods, artists, and decades – but you can also try off-the-wall things like “beats to battle a zombie apocalypse” …

Spotify is cranking up the volume, err, subscription price, for the second time in a year. Whether it’s to cover the increased cost of licensing music or to fund future complaints against Apple, Spotify will start charging subscribers $1 to $2 more per month, depending on their plan.

It’s happened, Spotify has finally launched a miniplayer for desktop that supports music and video (including podcasts). As shown above, you can use a few designs including a minimal bar, or resizable square or rectangle.

Apple was recently fined 1.8 billion euros (about $2 billion USD) by the European Union commission, which argues that the company abuses its dominant position to harm Apple Music competitors on iOS. Even so, it seems that the company still has unresolved issues with Spotify, its main competitor, which is now accusing Apple of blocking its app updates in the EU.

Spotify on Thursday announced that it is bringing its “Jam” real-time listening party feature to its desktop users. The feature was introduced last year on Spotify’s iOS and Android app and lets users create real-time listening sessions that other people can join from wherever they are.