Senior Living News

What Is Spotify?

Spotify is a digital streaming service accessible through a website, a downloadable computer program and a mobile app. With just a few clicks, you can use Spotify to listen to music and other types of media without having to purchase CDs or buy individual song files, as long as you’re connected to the internet through Wi-Fi or your cellular service. If you opt for a premium account (which we’ll discuss in a bit), you can also download songs to listen to when you’re offline.

What Can I Listen to on Spotify?

Spotify is home to 100 million songs. Its library includes everything from classical music to jazz, from country to easy listening and from modern pop and rock to rap and alternative. Songs from nearly all major artists of the last 100+ years are accessible on the site.

While Spotify is most well-known for music, the site also allows you to stream podcasts, audio programs dedicated to a specific topic. There are more than 5 million podcasts available through the streaming service, so you’re almost guaranteed to find ones that reflect your interest, whether you’re a history buff, a sports fan, an art lover or a foodie.

When you sign up for Spotify, you get access to all the songs and podcasts currently available through the service. You can listen to whatever you want, as often as you want.

Spotify has also recently introduced audiobooks and has a library of more than 350,000 titles. The audiobook features work a little differently than the rest of the service. To access a particular audiobook, you pay a fee. Then, you can listen to it at your leisure.

What Can I Do With Spotify?

Spotify lets you do more than simply listen to music and podcasts. Some of its unique features include:

• Liking songs. When you listen to a song you enjoy, you can like it by clicking a heart symbol. As you tell Spotify what you like, its algorithm learns about your tastes and will begin recommending music.
• Creating playlists. You can create an unlimited number of groups of songs called playlists that you select to listen to together. Make ones for different seasons, moods or activities as you see fit.
• Accessing other playlists. Check out playlists created by the music experts on Spotify and playlists made by other users like you.
• Song recommendations. Every day, the site gives you access to new customized playlists based on what you’ve listened to in the past. The playlists usually contain a mix of songs you already know and ones that Spotify thinks you'll enjoy based on your listening habits.
• Artist radio. For most artists, you can click a link that will launch what Spotify calls Radio. The streaming service will start playing music from that artist and artists who are similar to them, and the music will continue until you stop listening.
• Sharing. Through Spotify, you can share songs that you love through social media.
• Following. Find friends and family members on Spotify and follow their accounts to see what they’re listening to and discover new music.

How Can I Listen to Spotify?

The Spotify app is available on most:

• Desktop and laptop computers
• Mobile phones
• Tablet computers
• Smart TVs
• Smart Blu-ray and DVD players
• Gaming consoles that connect to the internet
• Alexa-enabled speakers and other smart speakers

How Do I Get Spotify?

To get Spotify, visit the official website or download the app. On a tablet or phone, you can download the app through Google Play or the Apple App Store. You’ll need to choose a username and password to sign up. Choose a unique password you haven’t used before to keep your account secure.

How Much Does Spotify Cost?

There are two versions of Spotify: Spotify Free and Spotify Premium. With Spotify Free, you get access to all the music and podcasts to listen to anywhere in the United States and for up to 14 days when traveling internationally. You can also download podcasts with the free account.

Spotify Premium gives you unlimited access to the same music and podcast library plus unlimited international access. It also unlocks additional features, including:

• Ad-free music
• The ability to listen to songs on playlists in any order
• The option to download music
• Higher quality music

As of June 2023, there were three versions of Spotify Premium available for seniors:

• Premium Individual for just one person. Cost: $9.99 per month.
• Premium Duo for two people who live together to share. Cost: $12.99 per month.
• Premium Family for six people who live together to share. Cost: $15.99 per month.

Spotify often has promotions that let you try Spotify Premium for free for a certain number of days.

How to Get Help With Spotify

Spotify is simple to use, even if you’re not tech-savvy. However, the service does have customer support available if you run into any trouble. Just visit the Spotify Support Center to search for answers. If you can’t resolve the issue through the information provided, the support center will direct you to contact customer service.