this post was submitted on 15 Jan 2026
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The time has come when you'll need deeper pockets to keep using Spotify. The Sweden-based music streaming giant has announced yet another price hike for its Premium subscribers living in the US, Estonia, and Latvia.

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[–] amlor@piefed.social 25 points 4 months ago (2 children)
[–] artyom@piefed.social 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Internet radio is also free. I think too many people forget that one.

[–] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Physical radio systems are always free without any strings attached and continue operating on blackouts.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Uhhh well there are very large strings in the form of rampant advertising.

[–] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It depends on the frequency you're using.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Which frequencies don't have advertising?

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

In the US, non commercial educational stations are not allowed to have paid advertising.

[–] artyom@piefed.social 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Educational stations don't seem like a great place to find music.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 4 months ago

A lot of high school and college stations play music. You probably won't hear many of the more popular artists, but they do play a lot of indie music.

[–] GraveyardOrbit@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 months ago

That’s just a player, where does the music and discovery come from?

[–] Ek-Hou-Van-Braai@piefed.social 19 points 4 months ago

They've released 'Platinum Premium' in a few countries now.

If you're a paying Premium user, you now get adds to upgrade to 'Platinum Premium' which is just features you used to have that have moved to a more expensive plan and AI

[–] Bryllyg@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

qobuz is good so far. the ui could use work and I'm still getting used to howto switch output sources but the sound is great and it's even got Phoebe Bridgers now so I'm all set. bye bye spotify

[–] U7826391786239@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

i switched to tidal some months ago. can't compare it to other alternatives, but it does what i want and nothing else with options for audiophile tier sound quality.

it was oddly satisfying telling spotify to take their price hikes and fuck themselves with it after 5 or 6 pages of them begging me not to cancel. dipshits.

[–] modular950@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 months ago

recently went through the cancellation steps as well. it certainly isn't a surprise, but notably that is one of the more persistently-desparate cancellations I've personally experienced. made me that much happier to be cancelling and fueled my mood of "yeah, take THAT"

[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 months ago
[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Never used Spotify, so nothing changed. They barely have anything I listen to anyways, so I guess that's why. There is so much music out there....

[–] BrikoX@lemmy.zip 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I'm curious what are you listening to that they don't have? They have most commercial music with the exception of movie and game OSTs.

Classical music, hobbiest remixes or independent artists would be another category they don't have as you need a contract with distributor to submit to Spotify.

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Live music mostly, both commercially released and fan traded. Smaller bands, out if print records, a ton of open and free music that they don't bother with, music in dispute over royalties and so on.

Almost every time I have looked they simply don't have a lot of music I am looking for.

And all the mainstream stuff they do carry is literally everywhere else for free anyways.

Glad I ditched them a few months ago :P

[–] nocturne@slrpnk.net 5 points 4 months ago

And a past hike to the non-AI non-Joe Rogan artists too... right?

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 4 points 4 months ago

If the rumor is that prices are going up, or layoffs are coming, it's ALWAYS true.

[–] belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org 2 points 4 months ago
[–] roserose56@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 months ago

Alternatives exist, for people who want to change. I for, stopped using spotify a year + ago, and a replacement was spotube, not the best, but it does the job. Now days I listen to my cd's, soundcloud, spotube, youtoube(newpipe) and bandcamp. You may find also useful tidal, deezer, qobuz and torrents.