Criticism of Spotify

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said staff were being incredibly productive, but the company just wasn’t acting as efficiently as it could be.Photo: TORU YAMANAKA/AFP (Getty Images)Spotify staff could be listening to a funerary dirge in their own Spotify Wraps. The company announced it was making sweeping staff cuts across the board, reducing global headcount by around 17%. Merry Christmas.“Even AI Rappers are Harassed by Police” | AI UnlockedSpotify CEO Daniel Ek blamed the layoffs on slowing economic growth and how “capital has…

This week, Spotify shared an update on its policies, aiming to “better support those most dependent on streaming revenues as part of their livelihood,” according to a company post. The updates address “artificial streaming,” the number of plays required to monetize tracks, and new minimums for the length of noise recordings.Johnny Knoxville Loved Collectibles | First FandomsFirst up, Spotify is cracking down on paid third-party streamers, something the company has previously cautioned artists to avoid: “Any service that…

If you’re a longtime Spotify Premium subscriber, your account could be set for a shake-up. Spotify is ending all support for payments made via Apple’s App Store billing system, and consequently,some subscribers are slated to get the boot.How To Prep Your iPhone or iPad Before SellingIf you signed up for Premium through the App Store, and make your monthly payments via Apple’s billing service, then Spotify will soon downgrade you to a free, ad-based account. To access Premium again, you’ll need to re-subscribe using a…

After two years of waiting, Spotify is reportedly still demanding that users who want high quality, lossless audio will have to pay for it.Photo: Antony Jones (Getty Images)Spotify users biting their nails for over two years waiting for a once-heralded HiFi audio feature might be down to their cuticles at this point, but the music streaming app could finally deliver this year. Well, you will have some access to CD-quality audio as long as you’re willing to pay the “Supremium” toll.Video Chat - From Sci-Fi to…

Today’s Heardle was quite the doozy. Screenshot: GizmodoThe viral word game Wordle has spawned its fair share of clones, from Octordle to Absurdle to the movie-based Framed. Unfortunately, Heardle, the Spotify-owned, music-based version of the word guessing game, will be shutting down next month.Video Chat - From Sci-Fi to Sci-FactHeardle operated much like Wordle, but instead of guessing words with five letters at a time, users guess a song by hearing only a few seconds at a time. Spotify, which acquired Heardle in 2022…

Spotify is officially shuttering its Clubhouse copycat called Spotify Live. The feature was a bit like a live radio station that listeners could access on the Spotify mobile app.How to Hide Your Sensitive Images in Google PhotosMusic Ally broke the news today, reporting that users were made aware of the scrapped feature this afternoon. Although Spotify Live is getting the axe, the company plans to continue experimenting with live features in its interface, according to the outlet. According to Spotify’s own website,…

It was around 10 PM on a weeknight, and as usual, I was on the couch staring at my phone. I tapped open Spotify to pick a little background music for my bedtime death scroll, but this time the app had something new for me. It was a popup with a green circle on a blue background, asking if I wanted to try the new AI DJ. Well Spotify, don’t mind if I do. I’d heard a bit about this feature, but I wasn’t ready for what came next: Spotify started talking to me.Does Charlie Have a Kryptonite to Her Power?“It’s really great to…

The music streaming wars centered around Apple Music and (the now TikTok-ifieid) Spotify have calcified in recent years. Apple has relied on its massive tech empire and close partnerships to try to edge Spotify out on streaming features, and team green is having trouble catching up. One of those features happens to be HiFi lossless audio. According to a new interview with a Spotify exec, the rival streaming platform is still refusing to share concrete lossless audio plans despite announcing HiFi features two years ago.…

Image: Sergi Alexander (Getty Images)Spotify is introducing a new interface comparable to a TikTok or Instagram feed, the company announced at its Stream On event on Wednesday. The change will affect how Spotify’s music is recommended to users by showing music video clips and other visual aspects instead of its standard list of albums.Spotify’s CEO and founder, Daniel Ek, told CBS that the updates include an “entirely new” home feed, adding that it’s “completely redesigned from the ground up.” He continued, “You’ll see…

Image: Joe Scarnici (Getty Images)Spotify announced it is changing its user interface by replacing the universal heart icon and the “add to playlist” button with the plus symbol. The change will allow users to not only save music, but to add a song, playlist, or podcast to a specific destination with the two-in-one combo button.Company research reportedly found that users were overwhelmingly pleased with the new layout and it “helped save time and gave users the ability to add to multiple playlists at once,” Spotify said…