PSA for Spotify Pre...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

PSA for Spotify Premium subscribers.

32 Posts
25 Users
46 Reactions
268 Views
Posts: 77347
Free Member
Topic starter
 

Premium has just seen a price rise, but Spotify has introduced a Basic tier.  The only difference between Premium and Basic is access to audiobooks.  If you don't listen to audiobooks, jump onto your account and downgrade the subscription.

OK, the difference is like a quid a month, but still.


 
Posted : 01/06/2024 6:57 pm
dander, seriousrikk, b33k34 and 15 people reacted
Posts: 957
Full Member
 

Good spot thanks 👍


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 9:09 am
Posts: 5448
Free Member
 

The only difference?

My good sir, it's more than that. But it's also not a "completely ad-free experience" either.

Spotify Free:

Access: Provides access to a library of over 80 million songs and 2.6 million podcasts.
Ads: Includes ads during playback.
Quality: Streams music at 160kbps (lower audio quality).
Limitations: Limited skips (you can’t skip tracks freely).
Offline Listening: Not available for offline listening.
Cost: Free, but with the trade-off of ads and limitations.

Spotify Premium:

Access: Same extensive library of songs and podcasts.
Ads: Completely ad-free experience.
Quality: Streams music at 320kbps (higher audio quality).
Unlimited Skips: Skip tracks as much as you want.
Offline Listening: Download music for offline listening.
Exclusive Content: Access to exclusive content not available on the free version.
Cost: Requires a monthly subscription fee. And your first born son.


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 9:45 am
Posts: 6874
Full Member
 

Basic != Free


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 9:51 am
doris5000 and doris5000 reacted
Posts: 13134
Full Member
 

Yes, basic seems to be a new category. As a "duo" member it's £2pm cheaper. As only one member (me thankfully) gets access to the 15hrs of free audio books it's basically £2pm a month for that service. As their pricing for listening beyond that are extortionate I'd only ever use the free hours. I've been using it for books I'd otherwise have to use a credit for in audible and only plan on listening to once.

Now they've split it away like that I envision a stealth creep up in price difference that'll need to be watched. Still just about fine but another pound and it's to basic for us I think.


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 10:24 am
Posts: 3636
Free Member
 

Cost: Requires a monthly subscription fee. And your first born son.

Ha! Joke's on them. My first born son is a complete waste of space


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 10:48 am
doomanic, pondo, chambord and 11 people reacted
 DrJ
Posts: 13416
Full Member
 

Apparently Premium has higher audio quality. That doesn't bother me that much, but I'm surprised the local unidirectional cable cognoscenti haven't been all over your case about it.

EDIT - I was wrong - bit rate is the same.


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 10:57 am
Posts: 4331
Full Member
 

Just downgraded to the basic duo. I've listened to the odd book but won't miss it.

Thanks @Cougar 👍🏻


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 11:24 am
Posts: 13594
Free Member
 

Just downgraded to Basic Duo!

Thanks!


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 12:57 pm
 zomg
Posts: 850
Free Member
 

It’s a pity they still don’t seem to have a subscription that just gets music at high quality. I switched my family sub to Apple when Spotify started pushing iffy podcasts.


 
Posted : 02/06/2024 5:32 pm
thebunk and thebunk reacted
Posts: 1647
Full Member
 

That's the 1st and last time I've ever been referred to as a premium individual. Back to basic individual for me!


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 7:14 am
Posts: 1886
Free Member
 

Thanks for the PSA, wasn't aware of this.


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 9:25 am
Posts: 5787
Full Member
 

Weirdly, basic seems not to be available in Ireland. Booo


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 9:34 am
Posts: 221
Full Member
 

And here's another one who you've just saved £1 a month - thanks!


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 9:56 am
b33k34 and b33k34 reacted
Posts: 1370
Full Member
 

Thanks @cougar.  £2/month retained, you just reversed the price rise for us.  (Noone in the family has ever even listened to an audiobook on spotify)


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 10:52 am
b33k34 and b33k34 reacted
Posts: 233
Free Member
 

Thanks for heads up. Just downgraded from premium duo to basic duo


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 2:39 pm
b33k34 and b33k34 reacted
Posts: 3204
Free Member
 

You will have to price my audiobooks out of my cold dead hands.


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 4:10 pm
Posts: 4696
Free Member
 

I listen to audiobooks pretty regularly so not worth it for me.

What I would like though is a way to get rid of adverts in podcasts.  It really annoyed me when they changed premium from Ad-Free listening to Ad-Free Music listening.  There's nothing worse than an ad or two playing in the exact place to ruin the flow of the podcast.


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 5:36 pm
Posts: 77347
Free Member
Topic starter
 

I have sufficient audiobooks - well, audio dramas - to outlast me.  It honestly never even occurred to me to look for such things on Spotify in the first place.


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 5:59 pm
Posts: 77347
Free Member
Topic starter
 

There’s nothing worse than an ad or two playing in the exact place to ruin the flow of the podcast.

See also: YouTube.

I don't get adverts on YouTube for desktop, I'm not entirely certain exactly why but I have my main browser fairly locked down so some things simply don't work.  It was a shock to the system playing videos on the TV, ads just cut in mid-sentence with no warning, it's really disconcerting.


 
Posted : 03/06/2024 6:07 pm
Posts: 159
Free Member
 

Thanks for this

FYI - If you do change within the app, (Duo premium to duo basic here) the current plan still shows as active and and looks as though you'll still be billed on that.

The option you've chosen to change to disappears

It only appears to be confirmed in the web account info. Bit of a faff but it is there


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 8:07 am
Posts: 2314
Full Member
 

Another thumbs up here, takes the edge off the price raise pain


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 8:20 am
Posts: 6980
Full Member
 

Thanks for the PSA, another basic duo signed up for here.

What I find really odd though is what actually is "premium" about the premium accounts? Being able to listen to some audio books doesn't seem enough to cover it, but might just be a terminology hangover


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 9:13 am
Posts: 923
Full Member
 

Am I missing something here, I don't seem to have this "Premium Basic" option. Is it only an option once you've subscribed to Premium?

Screenshot 2024-06-04 09.49.20


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 9:52 am
Posts: 923
Full Member
 

What I find really odd though is what actually is “premium” about the premium accounts? Being able to listen to some audio books doesn’t seem enough to cover it, but might just be a terminology hangover

No ads, being able to listen to an album in the correct order of play. Using Pink Floyd as an example, listening to DSOTM with adverts, and tracks playing in a random order, is a very unsettling experience


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 9:56 am
Posts: 5787
Full Member
 

Not Premium Basic, 'Basic' where it says 'Premium.

That said, I don't have it either - good to know it's not just me!


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 9:58 am
andy5390 and andy5390 reacted
Posts: 54
Free Member
 

Thanks for that @cougar


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 5:08 pm
Posts: 6980
Full Member
 

No ads, being able to listen to an album in the correct order of play. Using Pink Floyd as an example, listening to DSOTM with adverts, and tracks playing in a random order, is a very unsettling experience

All of which you appear to be able to do in Basic (not Free)


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 5:40 pm
Posts: 923
Full Member
 

All of which you appear to be able to do in Basic (not Free)

I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous post/pic 😉


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 6:56 pm
Posts: 3026
Free Member
 

I never realised that I could get audiobooks on Spotify.

Thanks for that !


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 7:09 pm
Posts: 28475
Free Member
 

Well, it kept giving me an error message and wouldn't let me change to Basic, so I cancelled it altogether.


 
Posted : 04/06/2024 7:19 pm
Posts: 6980
Full Member
 

andy5390Full Member

I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous post/pic 😉

Not sure what you mean - your screenshot doesn't show the "Basic" packages


 
Posted : 05/06/2024 2:56 pm
Posts: 923
Full Member
 

I posted a screenshot showing that I had no Basic option

I then said (in my next post), Premium is ad free and lets you play music in any order

You pointed out that Basic also lets you go ad free and play music in the order you want.

I referred you to my previous post, in which I included a screenshot showing my options. Basic wasn't one of them.

Thus, I have no way of knowing what Basic does or doesn't provide.

I didn't think that was too difficult to follow. YMMV


 
Posted : 05/06/2024 4:43 pm

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!