Earlier this year, Spotify added music videos to its platform as a beta feature. Initially, this feature was limited to 12 markets. This week, the music streaming platform expanded it to 85 new markets, including India. Spotify’s smartphone, tablet, and PC apps support this feature. However, its access is limited to Premium users only. Once this feature makes it out of the beta stage, it will likely be made available to free users as well. If you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, here’s how you can watch music videos on the platform.
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In This Article
Music videos on Spotify
Since music videos are still a beta feature on Spotify, there are some issues that the platform needs to iron out. For starters, some of the music videos have a different mix than the corresponding audio track. This leads to an inconsistent audio quality when you switch back and forth between the video and the audio track. Furthermore, some of the music videos have been lifted from live recordings. The video library is pretty limited, with some of the big names (like Taylor Swift) missing from the list. Spotify has mentioned that it will expand the video library in the next few weeks.
What Spotify has gotten right is the implementation of this feature on the platform. Music videos do not take centre stage in the app. If you want to keep using Spotify for audio streaming, the presence of MVs will have no effect on your experience. Switching between the studio and video versions of a track is a very intuitive process.
Watch music videos on the Spotify mobile app
Step 1: Make sure the Spotify app on your phone is updated to the latest version.
Step 2: Launch the Spotify app on your smartphone.
Step 3: Go to an artist’s page and tap a song with the Video tag in the subtitle.
Step 4: Once the music player pops up, tap on Switch to video.
Step 5: Tap the video and hit the arrow icon to go full screen.
Step 6: Tap on Switch to audio to turn off the video.
Watch music videos on the Spotify desktop app
Step 1: Launch the Spotify app on your PC or laptop.
Step 2: Play a song.
Step 3: On the right panel with the song canvas/album art, click on Switch to video.
Step 4: Move the cursor to the video player and click the icon in the top right corner of the panel to expand the video to full screen.
Step 5: You can also choose to open the video in Cinema Mode and Mini Mode (Picture-in-Picture).
Step 6: Click on Switch to audio to go back to the audio version of the song.
Can’t access music videos on Spotify? Try these fixes
- Subscribe to Spotify Premium.
- Make sure your region supports this feature.
- Update the Spotify app to the latest version.
- Make sure the song you’re playing has a music video.
- Choose your device as the audio output. Do not use smart speakers like Alexa.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are there music videos on Spotify?
Music videos are a beta feature on Spotify and are available in limited locations. Currently, this feature is available to Premium subscribers in 97 markets across the world.
Is there a way to watch music videos on Spotify?
If a song has a music video, play it on Spotify, and tap ‘Switch to video’ to watch it.
How do I add a music video to Spotify?
While you can’t add local videos on your phone to the Spotify app yet, you can still add audio tracks. Go to Profile>Settings and privacy>Local files and turn on the toggle switch next to ‘Show audio files from this device’.
How to switch from audio to video on Spotify podcasts?
To switch from audio to video on a Spotify podcast, scroll to the bottom of the episode list and click on ‘Replace audio with video’.
How to download audio-only episodes of a Spotify podcast?
Go to Profile>Settings and privacy>Data-saving and offline and turn on the toggle switch next to ‘Audio-only downloads for video podcasts’.
When did Spotify start showing music videos?
Music videos were introduced on Spotify in March 2023.
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Conclusion
This is how you can watch music videos on Spotify. Currently, an individual Spotify Premium subscription costs Rs 119 per month. The platform also has a few economical plans like Mini (Rs 29 per week), Family (Rs 179/month for 6 accounts), Duo (Rs 149/month for 2 accounts), and Student (Rs 59/month).
