REVIEWS / MUSIC SERVICES / OWNER INSIGHTS
🦉 WE READ 404 OWNER COMMENTS
Spotify Premium Individual: what owners actually say
Owners value Spotify's massive library and discovery but are increasingly frustrated by repeated price hikes funding side projects they never asked for, while core features like lossless audio remain missing.
What owners complain about
- Repeated price hikes COMMON
Users report multiple rate increases, with one commenter noting a hike in '25 followed by another at the start of '26; many say these increases are to cover poor business decisions and side projects rather than music improvements
- Feature bloat and unwanted side projects COMMON
Owners complain about paying for audiobooks, 'music 8-ball/magic crystal' gimmicks, and other non-music features they don't want, while the core music experience stagnates
- No lossless/CD quality audio SOME
Despite years of requests and competitors offering FLAC streaming, Spotify still hasn't delivered high-quality audio tier
- Enshittification erosion COMMON
Multiple users describe a pattern of the service getting progressively worse with more bloat and higher costs, prompting switches to Deezer, Tidal, or self-hosted solutions
- CEO's dismissive stance on creator costs FEW
The CEO publicly claimed content creation costs are 'close to zero,' which users see as insulting given they're paying more to support creators
What owners love
- Unmatched music discovery and exploration
Owners consistently praise the ability to discover new music and try anything instantly, calling it the real value proposition that's hard to replicate with downloads or ownership
- Convenience across devices
Users highlight seamless access on mobile, Android Auto integration, and having millions of songs available anywhere as key benefits
- Superior to Amazon Music
At least one user who has access to both considers Spotify far better than Amazon Music included with Prime
- Student discount accessibility
The student tier at $4.99/month is called out as making premium genuinely accessible for students
- Playlist ecosystem and sharing
Users appreciate shared playlists with family and the social playlist features
Surprising patterns
- Multiple owners are returning to physical CD collections from thrift stores and ripping to FLAC for self-hosting via Plex/Plexamp, seeing it as a hedge against streaming enshittification
- Some users exploit a VPN loophole to sign up via Turkish IP addresses, bringing the effective cost under $2/month USD
- Several owners treat Spotify as explicitly temporary and complementary to physical media — paying for convenience and exploration while buying records and CDs for music they truly love
- Tidal's family plan is now reportedly cheaper than Spotify's in some regions, a reversal that long-time users find remarkable
WHO SHOULD SKIP IT
Audiophiles who want lossless streaming, anyone who resents paying for podcasts and audiobooks they'll never use, and users who want to feel ownership over their music library rather than renting access to it.
Synthesised from 404 real owner comments across 5 platforms. Every point is grounded in the comments — no marketing, no AI guessing. How we do it →