Spotify takes the fight to YouTube with big music video rollout — but there's a catch

News
By published

Get ready to watch and listen

Spotify logo on phones with over-ear headphones
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Jump to:

You know how you can watch music videos on YouTube, for free, without the need for a subscription? Well, now you can do the same thing on Spotify with your $11.99 per month Premium subscription.

Unless you live in the U.S..

It's all about repeat streams

This isn't the first time that we've seen Music Video on Spotify. In March, the feature was initially launched in 12 locations, including the UK, Germany, Italy and more. That now brings Music Video availability to 97 markets in total. Why is it not available in the U.S.? There's nothing on Spotify's newsroom page, although the firm claims that it looks "forward to bringing it to even more users across more markets, including the US, in the future.” in a statement made to The Verge.

With these new markets come improvements to the feature as well. Here are Spotify's release notes:

  • "Fans can easily find and discover new music videos to watch (on mobile and desktop) with video indicators on tracks.
  • Users can also more easily find the music video they’re looking for alongside its related track by typing the track or artist into search."

You'll also be able to switch between watching music videos and just listening to music with a button on the now-playing screen labeled "Switch to video". There are some big artists included as well, including Charli XcX, LISA, Fontaines D.C., Nick Ward, and more.

Users can access the new features now from the Spotify mobile and desktop apps.

Why the big Spotify video push?

Spotify actually has some really interesting statistics to back up the new feature. Apparently, users who find a music video on the service will be 34% more likely to go back and listen to that same song again the next week. In addition, "songs discovered with music videos are 24% more likely to be saved or shared in the following week by those who watched."

So it's easy to see why Spotify is including the new feature in its app. It's a shame that its only coming for Premium subscribers, however. Given that anyone can just watch a music video on Youtube, it feels strange that this feature is only available for paying customers.

It does bring some more interest to the now-playing screen though. I like how it plays in the background while listening to music. But Spotify, I still have one question. Music Video is all well and good, but where's Spotify Hi-Fi?

More from Tom's Guide

TOPICS
Tammy Rogers
Tammy Rogers
Audio Editor

Tammy and her generous collection of headphones have found a new home — Tom's Guide! After a two-and-a-half-year stint as iMore's resident audiophile, Tammy's reviews and buying guide expertise have more focus than ever on Tom's Guide, helping buyers find the audio gear that works best for them. Tammy has worked with some of the most desirable audio brands on the planet in her time writing about headphones, speakers, and more, bringing a consumer focussed approach to critique and buying advice. Away from her desk, you'll probably find her in the countryside writing (extremely bad) poetry, or putting her screenwriting Masters to good use creating screenplays that'll never see the light of day.