After a decade-long relationship, I’m breaking up with Spotify. It’s nothing personal. We’ve both grown up, but we haven’t grown together.
Over the years, I’ve been tempted to leave Spotify many times. The company faces accusations of poor streaming payouts for artists compared to its competitors. I also haven’t forgotten how Spotify platformed Joe Rogan’s podcast, which was exclusive to the service and spread misinformation about COVID-19 and other viruses.
Spotify is also trying to kill the RSS feed, a move that undermines podcasters’ independence. Yet, until recently, these issues didn’t push me to explore alternatives. I’ve used Spotify daily since high school, and it’s embarrassingly easy to ignore the missteps of the tech companies we rely on.
It’s hard to feel like one subscription makes a difference. When Netflix laid off industry colleagues, I still ended up watching the new season of “Love is Blind.” Duolingo faced backlash for replacing contractors with AI, but it still beat revenue estimates.
What finally pushed me over the edge was Spotify’s suffocating reliance on algorithmic recommendations. The app is cluttered with unsolicited suggestions from the moment you open it. A full-screen podcast promotion greets you, followed by grids of music and podcast recommendations, sponsored songs, audiobook ads, and TikTok-like video clips.
Spotify’s AI constantly bombards you with curated playlists, making it easy to stop choosing your own music. Without realizing it, I lost my agency, listening to what Spotify told me I wanted instead of what I actually liked.
My decision wasn’t just about the app’s design. A January report from Duetti claimed Spotify pays about $3 per 1,000 streams, while Amazon Music, Apple Music, and YouTube paid $8.80, $6.20, and $4.80, respectively, in 2024. Spotify disputed these figures, but the disparity is hard to ignore.
In June, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek further alienated users when his investment firm led a $700 million funding round for a company developing AI-enabled military weapons. Bands like Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard pulled their music in protest. It felt like déjà vu—in 2022, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young left over Joe Rogan’s misinformation, though they returned in 2024.
Leaving Spotify isn’t easy, especially when you’re attached to years of playlists. Tools like Soundiiz make transferring collections between platforms simpler. I chose Apple Music, partly because of a three-month free trial with my new iPhone and its lossless audio feature, which Spotify has promised for years but never delivered.
I can’t pretend I’m leaving Spotify to support the little guy—Apple is another tech giant. I have ethical concerns about Apple too, especially after CEO Tim Cook gifted Donald Trump a custom Apple-branded plaque on a gold base while lobbying for tariff-free products.
At least Apple Music’s app isn’t as overwhelming as Spotify’s.