The battle between Apple Music and Spotify continues, and there's even a battle between Apple as a whole and the Swedish music streamer thanks to the ongoing EU Digital Markets Act shenanigans as well. But it's the music that really matters, and Spotify has taken a step closer to offering feature parity with Apple in one key way — support for music videos.
While Apple Music has offered music fans the chance to watch the videos that go along with their favorite songs for years, Spotify has lagged behind somewhat. That's changing as of today, with Spotify announcing that it is rolling music video support out to a total of 11 countries as part of a beta experience that will likely improve considerably in the future. The list of 11 countries includes plenty that you might expect including Spotify's home country of Sweden, but there's one notable exception that will no doubt be corrected in due course.
At the time of writing Spotify is launching music video support in the U.K., Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya. The most obvious omission there is the United States, and while some might make the link to Apple's home turf, that's surely little more than a coincidence. In fact, Spotify says that there's actual science behind its decision to roll the new feature out in Kenya, but not the US.
Let the beat go on ... in some countries
In a press release detailing the new beta feature, Spotify simply listed the countries that are coming online. But in a deeper dive with TechCrunch, Spotify’s VP Global Head of Consumer Experience Sten Garmark explained that the company " chose these markets based on a number of criteria including market size and the availability of local content support." The VP went on to add that users should "stay tuned as we hope to expand the catalog of music videos and increase availability to more countries.”
Being in one of those 11 countries isn't the only limitation here, either. Spotify says that you'll need to be a Spotify Premium subscriber to enjoy the new music video feature with the price of that subscription varying depending on what part of the world you happen to live in, whether you're a student, and if you want multiple people to be able to use the streaming service on the same account.
Beyond the country and payment limitations, there is also no guarantee that your favorite songs will have videos available anyway. The press release notes that the feature is rolling out "with a limited catalog of music videos, including hits from global artists like Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, or local favorites like Aluna and Asake."
You'll know whether the song you're listening to has a video available because there will be a button that offers users the chance to "Switch to Video" if that's the case. The video then starts from the beginning of the song. The option to switch back to an audio-only version of the song will also be available, too. Turning the iPhone into portrait orientation will allow the video to fill the screen, too.
Spotify says that the new music video feature is available on iOS and macOS as well as TV devices, not to mention Android phones and other desktop apps.
The feature appears to work well currently, but the only question many reading this will have is currently impossible to answer — when will Spotify music videos launch in the US?
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