- Music videos are now available in beta for U.S. and Canadian Premium subscribers.
- A wide group of additional countries is gaining full music video access.
- Subscribers remain divided between appreciating choice and fearing visual clutter.
- Spotify is transitioning from audio platform to full entertainment network.
After years of testing in scattered markets, Spotify has finally made its move in North America. Music videos are now officially rolling out in beta for Premium subscribers across the United States and Canada.
The company has been teasing this pivot since 2024, but this moment feels far more deliberate. Spotify no longer wants to simply host what we listen to; it wants to shape what we watch.
The timing is strategic. The rollout arrives immediately after the wave of attention generated by Spotify Wrapped 2025, capitalizing on peak cultural visibility. And this expansion is not confined to two flagship markets.
A surprisingly broad list of smaller nations, including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Ghana, Jamaica, Uganda, and Venezuela, is also receiving direct access to in-app music videos.
Spotify is positioning itself less as a Western streaming platform and more as a global entertainment network, one capable of distributing visual culture with the same reach as audio.
The user experience of switching from audio to video is simple. Once a song begins playing on mobile, desktop, or TV, tapping Switch to video launches the official video at the exact point where the audio left off. The engineering is not the challenge. The friction is emotional.
Spotify has spent more than a decade refining its minimalist listening experience. For many subscribers, that streamlined identity is sacred. When video first appeared in select regions, feedback poured in warning Spotify not to clutter its own foundation.
The comparison that surfaced most often was the modern Instagram experience, which ballooned far beyond its original form and left users wishing for the clarity of what it once was.
The concern is not that videos exist, but that they could define too much of the interface.
From the perspective of someone who has spent two decades observing the evolution of music platforms, the intent behind this move is clear.
Music videos are not mere extras. They shape era-specific aesthetics, influence fashion, generate online language, and cement cultural memory. MTV proved that long before algorithms began dictating our viewing choices.
Spotify is attempting to reclaim that space, and at the same time, finally challenge YouTube’s domination of visual music culture.
Yet Spotify is entering a field where YouTube did not just lead; it built the stadium, filled it, and charged admission. YouTube Music already feels like home for artists who live and breathe through video premieres.
It offers a smoother viewing atmosphere, and more importantly, a visual history that listeners instinctively associate with discovery.
There is another side to consider. Many subscribers simply appreciate having the option to stay within one app whether they want to listen or watch. To them, this is not an identity crisis but a convenience upgrade. They do not need Spotify to reinvent the visual world.
They only want it to avoid forcing the feature into every corner of the experience.
Where Spotify goes next will depend on restraint. If videos remain an optional layer rather than an incessant one, Spotify gains cultural ground without losing its soul.
If the company pushes too hard and turns video into a constant prompt, the pushback will not be quiet.
And considering the scale and confidence of this expansion, it is unlikely that this marks the final phase. Expect exclusive video drops, more live concerts, new visual formats, and increased emphasis on artist storytelling.
Spotify has already moved beyond streaming. What comes next will determine whether this transformation feels like thoughtful evolution or unnecessary intrusion.
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