Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 2008, chances are that you’ve heard of the wildly popular music streaming service called Spotify. Whether you’re privy to this platform or not, perhaps you’ve found yourself asking… what is Spotify?
If you don’t know the answer, if you are a Spotify novice, or even if you’re just not up to date on the more current features of this fantastic music streaming service, don’t worry. You’re about to be schooled.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics and need-to-knows of Spotify, as well as a few extras like how to transfer playlists between music platforms and how to keep them synced regularly. So if you’ve created playlists on other music platforms, don’t worry about losing them. Thanks to the Tune My Music transfer and sync features, you can easily transfer those playlists between music apps, keep them synced, and start enjoying all the amazing benefits that Spotify has to offer.
- What is Spotify?
- Spotify: Devices Supported
- Spotify: Plans
- Spotify: Music & Playlists
- Spotify: Podcasts
- Spotify: Transferring & Syncing
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a digital music streaming service that grants you access to over 100 million+ songs. It’s not just about the songs, though. Spotify even offers its users an array of other awesome features, such as videos, podcasts, personalized recommendations, curated content, events nearby, and fun social features like following your friends and favorite artists directly on the Spotify app.
Originally from Sweden, Spotify was launched in 2008 and still remains to be a favorite among music lovers. With a market share of 31%, counting an astonishing number of more than 590 million users worldwide, 40% of these users are paid, Spotify comes out on top for music streaming services.
Spotify uses a powerful algorithm to curate playlists based on user preferences for music and podcasts, allowing users to enjoy their favorite artists, songs, and discover new music.
But First, Create An Account
You can download Spotify on your desktop computer, download Spotify as an app on your mobile device (Android and iOS), or simply search for Spotify on your web browser.
Regardless of what devices you’ll be streaming from or which account you’ll want to go with (which we’ll discuss in the next two sections), you’ll need to create an account with Spotify.
Creating an account is simple. Here’s how:
Step 1) Go to www.spotify.com
Step 2) On the top right side of the screen, click “sign up”.
Step 3) You’ll then be asked to sign up through Facebook (which you can do if you choose), or you can sign up through your email address. Type in your email address.
Step 4) Confirm your email address by typing it in again.
Step 5) Create a secure password for your Spotify account. It will notify you when your password is secure by using the suggested amount of letters, numbers, and characters.
Step 6) Type in the name/nickname that you want Spotify to refer to you by.
Step 7) Enter your Date of Birth.
Step 8) Select your gender.
Step 9) Prove that you’re not a robot by following the steps on the screen.
Now you can start accessing Spotify from your preferred devices to enjoy your favorite music from anywhere at any time!
Signup can also be done through the Spotify mobile app in your device app store.
Spotify: Devices Supported
In the world of music apps, Spotify is at the top of the list. If you’re intrigued and want to give Spotify a try, you’ll first need to know what devices Spotify is compatible with so you can enjoy jamming out to your favorite tunes from anywhere. Let’s take a look…
Spotify is available for streaming on the following devices:
- 1) Mobile Devices
- 2) Desktop Computers
- 3) Web Browsers
- 4) Smart TVs
- 5) Streaming Devices
- 6) Smart Speakers
- 7) Vehicle Systems
- 8) Gaming Console
Spotify: Plans
Just like you’ll need to know which devices Spotify is compatible with, you’ll need to know all about which plans are available for Spotify and the benefits of each.
Spotify currently offers the following plans, so you are sure to find the one that suits your individual needs:
- 1. Spotify FREE Plan – FREE
Let’s face it, everyone loves something when it’s free, right? When it comes to music streaming service plans, this is no different. So, is Spotify FREE? Spotify does offer a FREE plan!
Spotify users love having the option to listen to music from Spotify’s FREE plan, but does that mean that FREE is necessarily better? That’s up to you to decide. So, what is Spotify FREE?
- • Spotify FREE plan gives you access to all of the songs in the Spotify music library (pretty cool, right?). However, there are some drawbacks… It is FREE, though, so the drawbacks aren’t bad when you keep that in mind.
- • Spotify FREE plan does come with frequent ad breaks, about as often as after every three songs you listen to. This can become quite irritating if you’re not a fan of ads, so in this case, you’ll likely prefer to spring for a PAID plan instead to avoid these pesky ads.
- • Spotify FREE plan only allows you to use a few “skips”. In other words, when a song pops up that you’re not a fan of, you likely won’t want to listen to the entire song. Rather, you’d like to skip it until you come across another song that interests you. For this reason, it will likely make more sense for you to get a PAID plan so you aren’t stuck having to listen to basically every song that you wish you could skip.
- • Spotify FREE plan does play songs at a slightly lower sound quality than a PAID plan. The FREE plan streams at a sound quality of approximately 128 kbps / web browsers and 160 kbits / desktop computers.
- 2. Spotify Premium Individual Plan – $11.99 / month (1 account)
What is Spotify Premium Individual? This plan offers 1 account, is AD-FREE, comes with on-demand playback, unlimited skips, and even gives you the ability to enjoy offline listening.
- 3. Spotify Premium Duo Plan – $16.99/month (2 accounts)
What is Spotify Premium Duo? This plan offers up to 2 individual accounts for two different users but with a discount.
So basically, you’ll get all the awesome features of the individual plan, but for 2 accounts, instead of 1 account. This is perfect for couples who love music but want to enjoy the personalization of having their own individual accounts, at a convenient and affordable price. You will both have to live at the same address, though.
- 4. Spotify Premium Family Plan – $19.99/month (6 accounts)
What is Spotify Premium Family? This plan offers up to 6 accounts, is AD FREE, comes with on-demand playback, unlimited skips, and even gives you the ability to enjoy offline listening.
This is called the FAMILY plan because it is perfect for family members. You all must live at the same address to be included in this monthly plan.
Another added benefit to this particular monthly plan is that it is more suited for children. How’s that, you ask? Well, this plan not only allows you to block explicit content (which is always a stress reliever), it also comes with Spotify Kids which is a separate app catered entirely to children.
- 5. Spotify Premium Student Plan – $5.99/month (1 account)
What is Spotify Premium Student? This plan offers the same features as the Individual Plan with up to 1 account, which is the same as an individual premium account but with a super discount. It’s important to notice that you must have a valid email address from a credited education institution so that Spotify can verify your identity as a student.
We all know that college is not cheap. We also know that college takes up basically all of your time, leaving little to no time to actually make money. Thankfully, Spotify understands this, which is why they offer this plan entirely for college students.
It’s affordable and convenient. Oh yeah, it also comes with access to the Hulu (with ads) plan. So now you can get an education, jam out to your favorite tunes between study sessions and fall asleep watching your favorite shows on Hulu. That sounds like a great deal, right?
Want to learn more about Spotify plans? Check out our other article Spotify Free vs Premium: A Full Comparison.
Spotify: Music & Playlists
Since the birth of Spotify in 2008, music lovers have been enjoying listening to their favorite songs and artists, as well as discovering new songs and artists.
One of the most loved features of Spotify is the ability to turn songs into playlists, so you can enjoy those loved tunes anytime without having to go back and search for each song, one at a time.
Want to learn more about how to fully immerse yourself in all that Spotify has to offer in terms of music and playlists? Here’s how:
- – Spotify Playlists – you can create a playlist on Spotify from scratch, following a few simple steps. These playlists are made by searching for your choice of song, artist, or album and adding it to a playlist. You will get to choose some personalized features for that playlist, such as a name, description, and photo.
To get the most out of creating your own playlist on Spotify, check out our other article How to Make a Playlist on Spotify.
- – Mood and Genre Playlists – If you want to enjoy the benefits of having a Spotify playlist but don’t know where to start, try a Spotify Mood and Genre Playlist. These playlists have been curated by Spotify’s editorial team and offer a wonderful way to introduce yourself to some new music that you might not have discovered elsewhere.
A mood and genre playlist can be found by clicking on the “search icon” on the left sidebar of your screen. When the search bar appears, simply type in “playlists”. From there, you can select the “genres and moods” option that appears at the top of the screen. This will have some playlists that have already been created for your enjoyment. EX: “Popular Netflix Playlists”.
- – Collaborative Playlists – This feature allows every collaborator (Spotify users you have invited to share in your playlist) to add songs to that playlist, rearrange the order in which the songs will play, and remove songs, as desired.
To learn all about how to create a collaborative playlist on Spotify, check out our other article How to Create a Collaborative Playlist on Spotify.
- – Daily Mixes – This can be found in the “Made For You” Section in your Spotify account. Simply navigate to your homepage and scroll down until you see “Made For …”.
Spotify will create multiple playlists for each user that contain songs from various genres, based on your listening history.
- – Discover Weekly – This can be found in the “Made For You” Section in your Spotify account. Simply navigate to your homepage and scroll down until you see “Made For …”.
Each Monday, Spotify will create a new playlist for each user in the Discover Weekly section. This playlist will contain a mix of songs based on your listening history and music preferences. It will even recommend new songs for you to listen to.
- – Release Radar – This can be found in the “Made For You” Section in your Spotify account. Simply navigate to your homepage and scroll down until you see “Made For …”.
Each Friday, Spotify will create a new playlist for each user in the Release Radar section. This playlist will highlight any newly released songs from artists that you have previously listened to or have as your favorite. This will always keep you up to date on the latest songs from your favorite artists.
Spotify: Podcasts
In addition to music, Spotify is also a great resource for listening to podcasts. Spotify podcasts include various genres and interests that will surely keep you entertained and informed.
Here are some awesome Spotify podcast features:
- Podcast Creation – If you have a podcast that you want to broadcast, Spotify lets their users upload their podcasts via various podcast hosting services. Users simply upload their podcasts for consideration in Spotify’s podcast catalog. This is a great way to get your show out there for the world to hear.
- Podcast Discovery – If you are a podcast listener, but aren’t sure where to begin to find new podcasts, Spotify offers a Podcast Discovery feature. Simply explore podcasts by browsing categories of your choosing, like News, Comedy, True Crime, Education, Technology, and more.
Spotify even offers exclusive podcasts for users that cannot be found elsewhere. - Spotify Original Podcasts – Spotify even offers many original podcasts featuring celebrities and industry experts like Kim Kardashian’s The System. You can even listen to other celebrity podcasts featuring Justin Long, Anna Faris, Dax Shepard, Ashley Graham, Nico Tortorella, and Kate and Oliver Hudson. And of course Joe Rogan Experience podcast, which is only available on Spotify.
- Podcast Recommendations – Spotify will also give you personalized recommendations for podcasts, based on your podcast listening history.
- Podcast Playlists – Spotify will create playlists containing podcast episodes organized by specific topics or themes. Similar to a curated music playlist, this is a great way to discover new podcasts that you’ve not yet enjoyed.
Spotify: Transferring & Syncing w/ Tune My Music
As promised, it’s time to learn how to transfer and sync music between music apps!
How to Transfer Music w/ Tune My Music:
Step 1) Go to: https://www.tunemymusic.com/features/transfer
Step 2) Click on “Transfer Your Music”.
Step 3) Select which source you want to transfer from (EX: Amazon Music) and log into your account. Click “Allow”.
Step 4) Once you’re logged into your account, select the playlist you want to transfer.
Step 5) Select which source you want to transfer to (EX: Spotify) and log into your account. Click “Allow”. Step 6) Select “Start Transfer”. Relax as you watch Tune My Music transfer your playlist!
Now you’ll always know how to transfer a playlist you’ve already created on one music platform to another music platform, without having to create the same playlist twice!
How to Sync Music w/ Tune My Music:
Step 1) Walk through the same steps you took to transfer your playlist using Tune My Music.
Step 2) Once your transfer is complete, simply click the “sync” button.
Step 3) Choose which syncing method you want to use – either Mirror Method (OR) Add Only Method. Mirror Method will keep both playlists exactly the same, while Add Only Method will not delete playlists from the transferred playlist automatically just because they have been deleted from the original playlist. Step 4) DONE! Now you can watch as your two playlists are always synced to your liking, thanks to Tune My Music.
Now you’ll always be able to sync two different playlists that are on two different music platforms. EX: Every time you add a song to your playlist on YouTube Music, it will automatically add that same song to your synced playlist on Spotify.
So what are you waiting for? Start diving through the sea of content on Spotify, create those playlists, and don’t forget to transfer and sync them along the way.
To compare Spotify with other music streaming services, check our Comparisons page with articles comparing the best music platforms available and with a complete, in-depth analysis.
