Spotify has been in the news a lot recently. We have had the controversy with the Joe Rogan podcast Covid misinformation. Also, Spotify users like myself and the broader technology and music media have been asking. Where is the hi-fi quality streaming we were promised?
Joe Rogan podcast controversy
Earlier this year, Spotify received an open letter from a number of medical practitioners concerned about Covid misinformation contained within some Joe Regan podcasts.
On 25 January 2022, the Guardian reported that Neil Young had written to his manager and record company. He requested his music be removed from Spotify due to the vaccine misinformation in the Joe Regan podcast. Since then, several other artists have decided to withdraw their music from Spotify.
It doesn’t just seem to be artists who are leaving Spotify. NME has reported that 19% of Spotify subscribers have cancelled their subscriptions. Another 18.5% consider cancelling if other artists leave Spotify according to Forrester research.
Spotify failure to deliver Hi-Fi quality streaming
This time last year, Spotify excited many of its subscribers by announcing a Hi-Fi quality music stream for subscribers by the end of 2021. To the disappointment of many, a subscriber 2022 came with no Hi-Fi quality.
Spotify posted an update on a thread regarding Hi-Fi quality streaming, which promises that it is excited to be delivering it soon. Yet they were unable to share any delivery on timing.
Conclusion
I, for one, have tried to follow Covid advice, and I’m fed up with people who try to spread misinformation on a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands worldwide. Spotify is a publisher of the Joe Rogan podcast due to being the exclusive distributor of the show and therefore has more responsibility in my mind.
Then I have to consider that Spotify is the only music streaming service without a HiFi quality stream. This subscriber is wondering if it would be better to stream his music elsewhere.
I have decided to try out some of the other streaming services, and you can read the first review of this series my review of Amazon music. I will, of course, look to review the other services once I have tried them. Once I have taken a look at them, I will do a round-up as I consider which streaming service is right for me.