From Nike to UGGS, people consume because they want to be associated with the “big brand.” Wearing the right clothes and using the right water bottle is the key to conformity in our society today and buying supposed “knock-offs” is the cardinal sin of consumerism. This idea doesn’t end with fashion either. Enter the music streaming industry. Just like clothes, people like to model their music on what’s trending, and this goes beyond songs and genres to even the app people use to play their music.
For many years at this point, Spotify has been the reigning champion of music streaming services. Spotify itself claims to have 640 million active listeners, and 542 million premium subscribers, making them the go-to service for music lovers and fanatics worldwide. For a price starting at $11.99 a month, you gain access to endless artists, songs, albums and more, something that people would have only dreamed of in the age of CDs and MP3 players.
Somehow, Spotify has found itself as much more than a music streaming platform; for many, it is a cultural staple. Much like the clothes people wear and the water bottles people drink from, the app has become something of a status symbol, as using the app to listen to and share popular artists comes at a cost that some are willing to pay and others are not.
Despite the widespread cultural popularity of Spotify, not everyone chooses to use it. Many use other smaller music streaming services such as Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora and others. People use services other than Spotify for an endless number of reasons, including Apple users wanting to use a service integrated into their phone, sound quality preferences, and simply the cost of one service vs another.
A reason why many people feel that Spotify is superior is due to their unmatched personalized features. The platform’s algorithm is designed to bring listeners tailor-made music recommendations, offering mixes, blends and day lists all personalized to your listening preferences and even the time of day. Whether you’re at the gym, studying or trying to unwind, Spotify is able to deliver a unique experience. This personalization culminates at the end of each year with the release of Spotify Wrapped, a fun and in-depth slideshow recap of all the music listened to over the past 365 days.
While Spotify has that advantage, competition in the industry is fierce, as many competing platforms are offering the same services at a lower cost. Apple Music, for example, has adopted some of these features, primarily among them Apple Music Rewind, an alternative to Spotify Wrapped, all for a price of $10.99, which while still not the least expensive option in the industry, is less than Spotify’s newly increased price of almost 12 dollars.
Seeing these options, you would expect some to compare prices and economize, but often Spotify users dig their feet in and insist that the service is better, despite now costing more than its competitors. Many Spotify users find themselves in a position of deep brand loyalty and the desire to continue keeping up with the cultural phenomenon that this service has created. Many who use Spotify wish to keep up and engage in trends far larger than jamming out to some tunes. Keeping up with Spotify for the Wrapped and being a part of culture.
This movement beyond just listening is what truly sets Spotify apart from its competitors for better or for worse. While it can be more fulfilling to be involved and engage in a trend as long-lasting and as big as something such as Spotify Wrapped, it can also put a lot of pressure on some to listen to the artists that others enjoy and not necessarily their own tastes. Additionally, it can put others in a position of paying more for a platform that they don’t necessarily need. This supremacy complex extends far beyond pressing play on your favorite artist. Maybe it’s time to put our music streaming services on shuffle, for the better.
