Why I cancelled my Spotify Subscription

Why I’m Switching from Spotify to Qobuz

Over the past few months, I’ve been rethinking how I listen to music. Like many people, I’ve relied on Spotify for years because it’s convenient and makes discovering new artists easy. But I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with how the platform treats artists and how its pricing decisions line up with that.

Spotify has been widely criticised for paying some of the lowest royalties in the streaming market. At the same time, subscription prices have increased by at least $1 per month in many regions. When you multiply that by roughly 270 million paying subscribers, you get billions of dollars in extra revenue every year — while independent artists still struggle to earn a sustainable income from streams.

On top of this, Spotify has started rolling out its new Lossless / HiFi tier in certain markets, but early reports suggest that the new feature is not truly lossless, despite years of marketing hype and anticipation. For a platform built on music, that feels like the wrong kind of compromise.

Why I Chose Qobuz

Qobuz offers something different that matches how I want to listen to music:

• True Hi-Res lossless audio (up to 24-bit / 192 kHz)
  
• Better support for artists, with higher payouts per stream compared to many competitors
  
• An album-first experience, with editorial content, liner notes and a focus on complete works rather than only playlists
  
• A listening environment that encourages active, intentional listening instead of background noise

I mainly use streaming to discover new artists, to check out music I might want to buy on vinyl for the store, and to play albums I no longer own physically. For those purposes, Qobuz fits me far better than Spotify.

Streaming vs Active Listening

I don’t think streaming is bad; it’s an incredible discovery tool. But I do believe that the deepest musical experiences come from active listening:

• Sitting down with a record and giving it your full attention
  
• Listening to albums from start to finish, in the order the artist intended
  
• Engaging with music through physical formats like vinyl — artwork, liner notes, and the ritual of putting a record on

For me, streaming is there to help me explore. Vinyl (and other physical formats) are there to help me experience the music.

Switching Was Easier Than I Expected

If you’re worried about losing years of playlists, I was too. But the move from Spotify to Qobuz turned out to be surprisingly simple.

During signup and setup, Qobuz guides you through the process of importing your existing playlists. The whole migration only took a few minutes, and I didn’t lose the curation work I had already done over the years.

I’m Not Sponsored, and Qobuz Isn’t the Only Alternative

To be completely clear: I’m not sponsored by Qobuz, and I’m not being paid to recommend them. This is just my personal choice as someone who loves music and runs a record shop.

Qobuz may not be the perfect fit for everyone. There are other great alternatives such as Tidal, Apple Music and Amazon Music that might match your taste, user interface preferences or ecosystem better. What matters is choosing a service that aligns with your values: sound quality, artist support, price and experience.

Are You Thinking About Leaving Spotify?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Are you considering switching streaming platforms? What matters most to you — sound quality, support for artists, subscription price, or the user experience?

Feel free to leave a comment and share your perspective. And if you’re ever in Gijón, stop by Session Records — we can put a record on, have a coffee, and talk about music the old-fashioned way.

Long live active listening