In a surprising move, Spotify has announced a shift in its offerings for free-tier users in India, stripping away several features that were once available without a premium subscription. As a consequence, the popular music streaming platform has seen its user rating plummet from a respectable 4.5 to a mere 1.7, sparking discontent among its user base.
All About Spotify Backlash
According to reports from TechCrunch, Spotify’s free tier in India will now exclude key functionalities that users had grown accustomed to. These changes include the inability to play songs in a specific order within a playlist, the removal of the repeat songs feature, the elimination of the ability to go back to the previous song, and the loss of the option to skip to a specific part of a song by clicking or dragging on the timeline bar.
With these features no longer accessible to free-tier users, the listening experience on Spotify’s free plan in India has become notably cumbersome. Users will now experience Spotify’s Smart Shuffle, an algorithm that automatically plays a new song after the current one concludes, disrupting the ability to curate a specific song sequence. In addition, users do not have the freedom to replay songs as they please go back, to enjoyed tracks or skip to sections of songs. This significantly limits their control over the music playback.
Free-tier users on Spotify have been complaining for a time about the frequency of ads, which play after every song. Interestingly, these ads often promote Spotify’s premium plans. Acknowledge the annoyance they cause. They encourage users to upgrade to the premium plan in order to get rid of these interruptions.
With essential features disabled, free-tier users are facing frustrations that make them consider exploring alternative platforms. The inability to rewind songs and revisit liked tracks. Enjoy playlists without interference from Smart Shuffle, which is an inconvenience for users. This is especially problematic in situations where manual control is impractical, like when driving or hosting a house party.
These recent changes have prompted users to look into music streaming platforms like YouTube Premium and Apple Music as viable options. YouTube Premium offers a package, with features to Spotify at a price of ₹129/month. On the other hand, Apple Music provides a streaming experience tailored specifically for iOS users at ₹99/month.
Considering the response and the possibility of users switching to platforms Spotify may have misjudged how open the Indian market would be to paid subscription plans. The choice to remove features has upset users. Emphasized the strong competition, in India’s music streaming industry.
