Hello Hello. Thanks for tuning in.

There was no Spotify Newsletter last week because someone hacked my account name - or whatever, I am not quite sure.

Anyway, they sent a truckload of spam emails all over the planet. I don’t think anyone on the newsletter subscriber list actually received any spam, but still… I received all the complaints, and it looked like my publication was the culprit.

A real bummer all around, to say the least. And if you do get any form of spam, I am sorry. I’m hopeful the Substack tech folks figured it out, but who knows. I’m not 100% sure if it’s fixed, but we’ll see.

If anything wonky happens moving forward there’s good odds I’ll pack up and decamp for a different newsletter platform.

The world’s finest Spotify newsletter must carry on, somehow… someway. :)

In the meantime …….

★ SPOTlight

⭐️ Spotify raises free-lyrics limit and plans largest concert yet

Last year, reports suggested that Spotify was putting song lyrics behind its paywall, restricting them to premium users only. That turned out to be tests in a few countries, which evolved into a policy placing a monthly limit on how many songs with lyrics free users could see.

⭐️ Ali Hazelwood is Partnering Up With Spotify to Release a New Audio-First Novella, ‘Two Can Play’

Spotify is partnering up with Ali Hazelwood to bring an audio-first novella to life. Two Can Play, which will be released on October 1st, also sparks a new part of Spotify Audiobooks as they announce their first major project that fans will be able to check out.

⭐️ Spotify adds seven million subscribers in Q2 and reports record profitability

The streaming giant added seven million subscribers and achieved record profitability in the three months. “Our business continued to perform well in Q2, led by healthy subscriber gains, improved monetisation and record profitability,” said Spotify in its update to investors. “Although we did see another quarter of MAU variability, funnel conversion remained strong, particularly in developed markets where we recently adjusted pricing.”

⭐️ Get ready for Spotify Supremium – Spotify CEO finally reveals ideas for 'higher quality' tier that's a lot pricier

During Spotify's latest earnings call, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek gave his clearest indication yet that the company's long-expected 'Supremium' tier really is coming… at some point.

⭐️ Spotify launches a parental guide as part of its safety efforts

Regulators in various countries have been keeping up the pressure on social-media giants over safety and privacy for young people, with various investigations and fines.

⭐️ Spotify rolls out 'Countdown Pages' to artists with over 5,000 listeners

Since launching later in 2023, the feature has only been available to artists chosen by Spotify to test it out. Today it’s opening up to a much broader swathe of musicians: anyone who’s had at least 5,000 active listeners in the last 28 days.

🗣 Podcasts

• Meghan Markle & Prince Harry Can't Get Over 'F------ Grifters' Label

• 7 Reasons Why Spotify Is My Preferred App for Podcasts

• Why comments on Spotify podcasts are more about YouTube than community

▶️ Playlists

• My Spotify Daylist and Blend mixes are way better since I started using this little-known feature

🎧 Streams

• Spotify’s hi-fi tease is tearing my family apart

• Spotify celebrates Blackpink’s eighth birthday (and 13bn streams)

• Lorde and Kimbra top Spotify’s first ever New Zealand Global Impact list

🖌 Design

• Google Is Testing a Spotify Extension for Its Gemini AI

• Meet The Team - Spotify's shift into video

🧐 Research

• Exploring Local Music’s Place in Global Streaming

🎼 Spotify 4 Artists

• Get Music on Spotify Playlists: A Guide for Indie Artists

• Why You Should Have Canvas Videos for All of Your Songs on Spotify (And How We Can Help)

💡 Tips & Tricks

• Be Your Own DJ With These Expert Spotify Hacks

🔥 News

• Samsung Keyboard removes YouTube and Grammarly extensions

• What went down when Spotify brought ‘Skate Noise’ to Johannesburg

• Spotify’s new comments feature tries to solve a longtime moderation problem

• Spotify Stock Hits Yearly High After Profit-Positive Earnings

• Spotify wants you to get Deluxe, a more expensive version with lossless audio and other perks

🎵 New Adventures

Whammer Jammer The J. Geils Band

Blonde Girl, Blue Dress Benmont Tench

Fancy Meeting You Here - Remastered Rosemary Clooney

Did Ye Get Healed Van Morrison

Breaking Us In Two Joe Jackson

Come Saturday Morning Liza Minnelli

Till You Come Back Through Amos Lee

Love on the Weekend John Mayer

Love Junkyard Rickie Lee Jones

Turn Travis

Daylight Fading Counting Crows

Satellite of Love Lou Reed

📧 Get in touch

If you have a question, request for sponsorship info, or simply a desire to chat about Spotify, please email me at jeff.spotifynewsletter@gmail.com.

😀 Have a Nice Weekend!