Spotify stops test that asked family plan subscribers to share their GPS location

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We reported yesterday how Spotify has started cracking down on users who abuse the family plan. Their solution was to ask subscribers to confirm their location via GPS. They wanted to catch users who aren’t related but are taking advantage of the discount the plan offers. But as some users have pointed out not all family members live together. However, Spotify does state in its terms that all members need to share a physical address.  

This hasn’t been strictly enforced before but it seems the loss of revenue this plans pose is enough to catch the music streaming service’s attention. As expected, customers aren’t comfortable with sharing their exact GPS location with the company. And the company has received backlash for this method. The company rescinded the small-scale test. It was sent out to only four of Spotify’s markets. But now the company has shut it down. When asked to comment on this, a Spotify spokesperson told Tech Crunch, “Spotify is currently testing improvements to the user experience of Premium for Family with small user groups in select markets. We are always testing new products and experiences at Spotify, but have no further news to share regarding this particular feature test at this time.” 

Spotify begins cracking down on friends who share Family plans

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Some “Premium for Family” subscribers in the US and Germany are getting emails from Spotify to confirm if they live in the same address. The move is the music streaming service’s attempt at cracking down on groups of friends who split the discounted plan meant for families. As some users pointed out, not all families live together but as The Verge reported, there is a fine print in the family plan that says it’s available for “you and up to five people who reside at your same address.” But the company made it easy for its users to sign up with no means to verify a user’s family status, thus making it easy for friends to setup accounts.

With the amount of subscribers who use this plan, it suggests that not all of them abide by this rule. As Billboard reported, almost half of global streaming subscribers use the family plan, which reduces Spotify subscription by as much as 75 percent, with six people using one US$14.99 Spotify family plan. And this is affecting the company’s bottom line, with average revenue per user dropping by 12 percent in the second quarter of this year. It isn’t clear though how aggressively Spotify will be going after these users but best keep an eye out on those accounts before you lose them.

Spotify partners with Ancestry.com to create playlists based on your DNA

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Spotify works to personalize your listening experience and this time it wants to use your DNA. The music streaming service just partnered with Ancestry.com to create a playlist based off the results from the US$99 AncestryDNA kit. Spotify will curate a “Heritage Playlist” or you can input your top five regions of heritage. You can even explore your “Musical DNA” and take a peek at what genres you listen to the most. The link, while accessible to everyone, Ancestry.com says it’s geared more towards its users since it directly correlates with the DNA results they get. But emphasizes that no “DNA data” is being shared with Spotify. If that promise doesn’t seem to hold up for you, Ancestry.com says all information you’ll use to create the playlist will be manually input by customers and “the experience is optional.” 

Source: Business Insider 

Spotify tries adding personalized songs in editor-curated playlists

One of the things Spotify is known for is introducing new music to users through its “Discover” algorithm. The music streaming service is taking advantage of this as the company tries inserting personalized tracks into editor-curated playlists. A company spokesperson confirmed that they’re carrying out this test on a limited number of users on “mid-tier” playlists or those playlists that get updated by Spotify staff on a weekly basis. It doesn’t exactly spell doom for human-curated playlists but it will add variety to the playlists you listen to. What do you think? Is this a feature you appreciate?

Source: GSMArena