The last year has seen more people than ever leave Spotify and transfer their music library to Apple Music using the FreeYourMusic app. And, for long-term users of Spotify who are bored of their price increases and stale music suggestions, it’s not really a big surprise.
That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of great points when it comes to Spotify, though. They have more features than you can shake a stick at - and are considered to be the default choice when it comes to music streaming.
To take a quick look at the positives and what keeps people with Spotify:
- They have a huge 100 million-song library
- Podcasts are integrated into the app
- Both the mobile app and desktop app are easy to use
- They’ve recently added Audiobooks to their offer
- Spotify Wrapped, Re-wind, and other personalized playlists are refreshed daily
- Easy-to-use UI
- Good integration options
However, even with all the positives, people are still moving music to Apple Music. If you’ve already made the decision and just need a guide, check out How To Transfer from Spotify to Apple Music For Free.
Moving your music for free means you can test out Apple Music and see if you like it before committing - nice.
But Apple Music is gaining Spotify leavers in droves - what gives?
Why people are leaving Spotify for Apple Music
Before getting into it, there is no right or wrong way to listen to music, and your music streaming service is all about personal preference.
Spotify as a company, though, has made some missteps in the last two years that have pushed many customers to look elsewhere - which is why we’ve made it as simple as possible to convert from Spotify to Apple Music.
Spotify price increases haven’t been of great value. When it comes to music streaming, value is up for debate because, for $10.99 (which is set to increase), you have more music than you will ever be able to consume in your lifetime - over 100 million tracks. But, for that same $10.99 with Apple Music, you get access to higher-quality audio as a start.
For many, the better audio quality is more than enough to make the switch.
Spotify currently offers 356kbit/s on the web player for Premium subscribers and 128kbit/s for the ad-supported accounts. For premium accounts, the desktop, mobile, and tablet apps have five different audio quality variations. Starting with automatic, which changes based on your network connection, to Very High 320kbit/s. For the ad-supported free account, the maximum you’ll get is 160kbit/s.
For comparison, Apple Music ranges from CD quality 16-bit/44.1 kHz to 24-bit/192 kHz. To make the most of the lossless, you’ll need wired headphones; go to your settings, look for audio quality, and turn lossless audio on. You can also enjoy a more immersive music experience with Spatial Audio.
For many, Spotify’s churn of personalized playlists means they get playlists filled with songs they already listen to rather than something new. Although there are new music promo banners and playlists, the more you listen to the same playlists, the more you get similar ones - putting you in a stale music listening loop.
Fine for some, but not everyone loves it. To combat users falling into this loop, Apple Music launched Discovery Station, which plays music similar to what you listen to but that should be new to you.
Looking to try a new streaming service, but don't know where to start: Best Free Music Streaming Services.
Although there is an argument to be made across the board that streaming services should be paying artists more, Spotify has come under fire countless times for being one of the lowest paying. For those who want to know that the artists are getting paid more from their subscription payments, many switch to Apple Music (or TIDAL).
For more on royalties, who pays what, check out the Spotify Royalties Calculator and this Spotify Royalties Case study.
Another common reason people want to move music from Spotify to Apple Music is that they don’t love the Spotify UI - mostly because it can feel cluttered. Apple as a brand is known for its clean-looking UI, and Apple Music is no exception.
Wrapped, Re-wind, Playlists in bottles, and more. These features can be a lot of fun; you can share your most listened-to music, check out other people’s music, and enjoy them. And since no other music streaming platform does it quite like Spotify, they can become a reason to stay. However, they can feel a little too gimmicky, especially when big-time and cash investments go into these social elements instead of paying artists more or increasing their audio quality.
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The thing about leaving a music streaming service, and what holds many people back, is they have to rebuild playlists. It’s time-consuming, and it can feel overwhelming if you’ve got hundreds or even thousands of songs. And then - what if you don’t like Apple Music? Daunting.
FreeYourMusic automatically moves all of your music for you; you get the first 100 songs for free (tip: wait for the pop-up to get 200 more for free). After that, to move anything else, one of our subscriptions will do the rest. The bonus of a subscription? It gives you the freedom to use the app to move music across 19 different music services so you can find the right home for your music.
