The battle between the streaming services is heating up. If you’ve ever been a Spotify Premium subscriber in the past, you’ve probably gotten several emails about a special offer from the company. The music streaming giant is offering a tempting deal for former Premium subscribers: 3 months of Premium for $9.99.
But Wait.. I Thought I Could Get 3 Months for $0.99
Let’s clear up some confusion. You’ve probably also seen an advertisement going around for 3 months of Spotify Premium for the low price of $0.99, so why would there also be an ad for 3 months for $9.99, is Spotify trying to rip people off? Nope. The cheaper promotion, which is $0.99, is open to new subscribers only. The other offer, which has never been done before, is for former subscribers, meaning that you were once a Premium subscriber.
The promotion is really saying something about Spotify’s revenue, as they have never offered this before. Are they really being hurt by YouTube Red and Apple Music? It’s possible that the company, which was once “invincible,” is now being damaged by the 2 growing competitors?
Spotify Used To Have Me
For at least a year, I was a happy Spotify Premium subscriber. I continued to be a Premium subscriber, even after Apple Music launched. Apple Music just didn’t offer anything that tempted me to switch. I was happy with Spotify. It’s interface is clean, the functionality is great, and the 3rd party apps are a big bonus.
But Then YouTube Red Came Along
“Oh great, here we go again with the YouTube Red talk.” Yes, I know, I mention YouTube Red vs. Spotify frequently in my articles, but this plays a key role in the point of the article. There’s one major reason that Spotify will have a hard time ever competing with YouTube Red: because YouTube is YouTube. Spotify can never replicate that. For that reason, some subscribers, including myself, have made the jump.
Apple Music Is Also A Silent Killer
Apple Music. It’s Spotify’s silent killer. While Apple Music has been shamed for it’s low amount of subscribers and poor functionality, it’s slowly creeping up in numbers. Not because it’s good, but because Apple makes it. Yep, that’s right. Apple has a large user base of loyal fans who will subscribe to it without even thinking about Spotify – just because they are comfortable with Apple and have come to expect a quality product.
Can Spotify Ever Come Back?
Back the promotion – it’s obvious that Spotify is hurting. Why else would they offer 3 months for former subscribers for $9.99? I was tempted to take them up on the offer, but I simply can’t cancel my YouTube Red subscription – I’m just too invested in YouTube. I won’t go on a rant again on how much I love YouTube Red, but just know, I love it. So can Spotify ever come back? Yes, but it will be difficult.
The Hope For Spotify
While they can’t directly compete with the YouTube side of YouTube Red, Spotify has a major advantage. They’re the best for music. Period. While they don’t offer an extensive video portfolio like YouTube, they are simply the best for music. The interface is clean, they release frequent updates, the streaming functionality is flawless, even on poor connections, Spotify Connect is amazing, the user base for social playlists is awesome, Discover Weekly rocks, and 3rd party apps are a must have. It’s amazing. I much prefer it over Google Play Music, but not quite enough that I’ll sacrifice YouTube Red for it.
The only way Spotify will survive is by finding a niche – being the best for music they can be. By continuing to add enticing features, music nerds all over the world will choose them over the competitor. It’s clear that they can’t be the best media streaming solution, so they have to be the best music streaming solution.
The Perfect World: Red + Premium
I’ve said it – I love Spotify. I love it over Google Play Music, and I really miss it, but unfortunately I’m not rich and I can’t afford paying for both services. In a perfect world, I’d pay for both. I’d use YouTube Red for YouTube, and Spotify for music. I would love to dream that the 2 companies might partner up some day, but I almost doubt that will happen.
Will Spotify Win Me Over?
Will Spotify win me over with their tempting offer? Sorry Spotify, but no. It’s really tempting, I swear it is, but I just can’t leave YouTube Red. I use it every month to download videos for road trips, and I enjoy the exclusive content. I also hate ads, and removing ads is a huge plus. I hope that Google will soon up it’s Google Play Music game, but for now, I’ll just have to live with what Google has given us. If there becomes a day that I can afford both subscription services, I’ll definitely do that!
