Free fallin’
Ionce heard in a movie that looking at somebody’s playlist is like reading their diary. (Okay, that movie is
What’s Your Number. And no, I am not ashamed.) The music streaming service Spotify has always made it easier to discover new artists and listen to old favorites, and sometimes, this means being able to listen to your guilt-pleasure songs all you want without anybody knowing — thanks, private session!
Music has always been personal, after all, and with Spotify, the listening experi- ence becomes more intimate and unique. And if you’re on a budget or would rather not subscribe at the moment, good news: a free Spotify account still comes loaded with great tunes and cool features.
Launched worldwide on Android and iOS in April 2018, the Free on Spotify mobile platform promised innovative new ways to adapt to the needs of its users, and it has definitely delivered. Upon signup or login, you’re presented with the Taste Onboarding feature, where you get to choose five or more artists you like so Spotify can easily learn about your tastes and suggest artists and songs you’ll love. This then allows the app to curate 15 personalized on-demand playlists just for you, based on data from your favorites and how you use it. Every user gets something different, from Discover Weekly and Release Radar to six Daily Mixes that will fit your every mood. The best part? You can play songs in any order and skip as much as you like.
For a better curated and tailored listening experience, use the “like” and “hide” buttons. You no longer have to hear songs you choose to hide, while artists, albums, playlists, and songs you like make for a more accurate and precise calculation of your musical tastes. Your liked songs also appear in a new playlist called “Your Favorites.” But if you’d rather make your own playlists, Spotify has made the task easier as well. After giving a title and choosing a few tracks, you’ll get recommended songs that fit the genre or theme you have, and they can be added by tapping a button.
While the download option is not yet available for free users, you can still save your precious data allocation while streaming by turning on Data Saver, which lets your stream at a lower bit rate. That way, you get to listen to more music with none of the guilt.
There’s a playlist for everything, whether you’re in the shower, running, studying, crying, dancing or, well, cry-dancing. With Free on Spotify, you can have all of these and more. That’s cause for celebration if there ever was one, so listen loud, and sing along ever louder — ads be damned.
With Free on Spotify’s cool new features, you no longer have to shell out for an intimate listening experience that’s specially curated just for you.