reddit.com/r/spotify
With Spotify, the answer is now simply: not many people.
Spotify is a well-known music streaming service that is widely used and easy to use. Its user interface is unique and expansive, allowing users to control their music listening experience in ways few other services do. For instance, they can see what friends are currently listening to, create collaborative playlists, and share songs with the click of a button. These features make Spotify stand out from the competition and make it a popular choice for those who want to listen to music privately or enjoy social interactions while listening.
But Spotify isn't just loved for its blending of music streaming and social networking features. It's also popular because it has a HUGE music library with over 30 million songs to choose from. Fans don't have to worry about not being able to find their favorite artists and songs - even the less mainstream, more underground ones.
And then, of course, there are the incredibly complex and highly personalized algorithms that Spotify uses to provide a totally customized listening experience. Every week, for instance, you will be gifted a playlist called "Discover Weekly" composed entirely of songs that you probably haven't heard but are likely to enjoy. They base these playlists on your listening habits, and I find that it is an incredible way to find new music, especially if you are at a loss when it comes to what to listen to. In addition to "Discover Weekly", you will also be able to choose from several daily mixes that are made for you, split into genres for the most part.
Many people find the freedom to create as many playlists as they want a huge perk of Spotify. Personally, I have been working on one for a few years now that is approaching 10,000 songs. Most music streaming services put limits on how long playlists can be, so it is freeing to find that Spotify provides a limitless music listening experience.
Many people enjoy creating Spotify playlists for personal use, and this seems to have contributed to the popularity of these lists. People love to share playlists with one another, no matter the reason, on Reddit and other subreddits. This is especially evident in subreddits like Spotify's r/Spotify, which is mostly composed of user-created playlists.
Further down the page, it becomes apparent that Spotify playlists are not the only thing to be found here on Reddit. This subreddit is also a home for Spotify users who want to share news about the streaming service, discuss features, help resolve issues, and post personal testimonies. So although r/Spotify is self-declared as primarily a source of playlists, it's much more than that as well - a place for Spotify lovers to gather together and discuss what they're most frequently using app.
History
There isn't a whole lot of historical information available surrounding subreddits, but according to what I've been able to find, r/Spotify was created on November 11th, 2008. It seems to be a thriving subreddit with over 183,000 members. Between 500 and 1,000 people are typically online at any given time.
Spotify was originally founded in 2006 by a team of programmers in Stockholm, Sweden. It was created by Daniel Ek, former Stardoll CEO, and Martin Lorentzon, who also co-founded the digital marketing company, Trade Doubler. The name Spotify was the result of Ek mishearing a suggestion that Lorentzon shouted from across the room. The etymology, then, was justified after the fact, given that the name sounds like a combination of ?spot? and ?identify.?
The company officially launched in October 2008. Initially, free accounts were available by invitation to help jumpstart growth, paid accounts were accessible from the very beginning. The fact that Spotify launched in October of 2008 and it already had an accompanying subreddit by November of the same year is testament to how rapidly this music streaming service caught on.
Content
The main purpose of r/Spotify is to share Spotify playlists with other users. This subreddit is also home to news about Spotify, announcements about changes to the service, and a place for users to chat about the best music streaming service on the market.
That being said, there are a few rules that are strictly followed on r/Spotify. For one thing, it is not to be used as a means of promoting your own music. Posts that include links to your own songs or albums are almost instantly deleted - self-promotion seems to be generally frowned upon here. Which makes sense - there is no shortage of subreddits dedicated to letting people share their original music.
Some other rules of r/Spotify are that you cannot post images, ask or beg for followers, or post links to playlists on other music streaming sites. It's a simple community, in other words, one that exists solely to discuss Spotify and share Spotify playlists.
Suggestions that I have for r/Spotify
I think that the idea behind r/Spotify is sound. I enjoy that there is a thriving and active community that I can turn to when I am looking for new playlists or want to share any of the ones that I have made or found. The moderators make an effort to stoke community engagement by pinning interactive posts, such as the current Playlist Competition thread where users can vote on their favorite playlists to crown a Spotify playlist champion for the last decade.
R/Spotify is well-organized, with a comprehensive list of flairs that you can easily filter by. Some examples of tags that you can either add to your own post or filter the subreddit by including News, Favorites, Questions, Technical Issues, Self Promos, and Complaints. This makes it easy to navigate this sprawling subreddit, as well as to let others know right off the bat what your post will pertain to.
If it were up to me, I think that the subreddit could be improved if tags were added that corresponded to popular music genres. For instance, if I'm looking for hip hop playlists, it would be helpful if there was a Hip Hop tag - or rock, indie, electronica, etc. As the subreddit is based around music and is by necessity intertwined with it, I think tags corresponding to popular music genres would make for a more organized and user-friendly subreddit.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a constantly growing source of Spotify playlists to enhance your personal music library, r/Spotify is definitely the place to go! If you just love Spotify in general and want to discuss it with other Spotify diehards, this is the subreddit for you. Or if you have a question about a feature or a technical issue, consult r/Spotify to see if someone else has the answer to your problem.
If you're a regular Spotify listener, definitely join this thriving community and expand your musical library or share a playlist of your own with the world. This subreddit will turn you into a Spotify expert overnight.