Spotify users are rallying for a refund from the music streaming giant, following complaints of excessive advertising for Drake’s latest album Scorpion.
The service offers an unpaid service where users are served ads and are unable to skip songs as well as a paid service where users are promised zero advertisements.
Though, many paying users have come out criticising Spotify and questioning how the platform can be considered ‘ad-free’ while heavily promoting an artist.
According to the users, Spotify homepages – which are usually filled with recommended artists – have only featured songs by Drake.
Disgruntled users have taken to social media to air their complaints and ask for a refund for their ad-free subscriptions.
https://twitter.com/aprilicus/status/1014323900333740032
https://twitter.com/DanieleRose22/status/1013845491757568000
@Spotify Wondering when i get my refund for my AD-FREE premium subscription since you've flooded my account with ads this month for this crappy Drake album.
— Matt Gerrard (@mattgerrard) July 2, 2018
Me: Listening to UK based metal band @tesseractband m/@Spotify : Would you like to listen to a Canadian rapper?
Why am I paying for an "ad-free" service? No recommendation algorithm would suggest I'd actually listen to Drake….— Will Scott-Jackson (@WillSJ_Engineer) July 3, 2018
Spotify chose not to respond to the criticism at first, instead, posting a Tweet about the popularity of Drake’s album.
Drizzy isn't playing. #ScorpionSZN going strong @Drake 📈🦂 pic.twitter.com/tS0tMFT2cS
— Spotify (@Spotify) June 29, 2018
However, on Monday, the platform said:
Hey there! We're celebrating Drake's new album and his spot as most streamed artist in the world right now. The Browse section and Playlists will be back to normal soon /JX
— SpotifyCares (@SpotifyCares) July 1, 2018
The move echoes a ‘misguided’ decision made by iTunes in 2014.
According to music magazine Billboard, “For some, the campaign is reminiscent of Apple’s misguided ‘giveaway’ of U2’s Songs of Innocence album in 2014, when the band’s album was uploaded to all iTunes users’ libraries without consent.
“But there is more to it too. As Spotify subscribers have become accustomed to the app personalizing its service to their interests, when the company executed total editorial influence like this, a portion of users seemingly felt betrayed.”
