Dear Spotify Team,
It is with sheer outrage that I write this letter, disgusted by your reckless decision to deprecate essential API endpoints without notice. As a paying premium family subscriber for over nine years, Iโve relied on these APIsโRelated Artists, Recommendations, Audio Features, Audio Analysis, Get Featured Playlists, and Get Categoryโs Playlistsโto build tools that made Spotify bearable amid its otherwise mediocre offerings.
These APIs were not just conveniences; they were lifelines. They allowed me to create tailored, innovative applications that filled the glaring gaps in your platform. For instance, Spotifyโs app still lacks basic functionality like sorting playlists by BPM or song keyโa fundamental feature for any music enthusiast. My Python script, which reorganizes my playlists nightly, solved this deficiency, offering a level of customization Spotify arrogantly refuses to provide.
To make matters worse, your abrupt removal of these APIs, announced and executed on the same day, is a slap in the face to your most dedicated users. This decision reeks of contempt for your audience, particularly developers who have devoted time, expertise, and passion to expanding what your lackluster service failed to offer. Typically, even the most exploitative corporations provide transition periods for such changes. Your decision to forgo even this basic courtesy signals a deliberate disdain for your customers.
The outrage from the developer community is not just warranted; itโs inevitable. Developers like myself have invested years in crafting solutions that not only enhance Spotify but, frankly, make it tolerable. Your unilateral action has sabotaged countless projects overnight, crushed innovation, and shown your utter disregard for the ecosystems weโve built around your service. This is an unforgivable betrayal of trust.
By refusing to offer any advance notice or alternative solutions, you have willfully chosen to alienate and disrespect the very people who advocate for your platform. Your hostility towards developers is matched only by your arrogance, as you dismiss the immense value these tools bring to Spotifyโs ecosystem. The lack of respect for this communityโs contributions is appalling, and the damage youโve inflicted will ripple far beyond today.
This latest move is part of a disturbing pattern of user-hostile decisions. Your abandonment of the Car Thing deviceโrendering it useless after December 9, 2024โis yet another display of corporate callousness. This reckless act disregards customers who invested in your hardware and contributes to the growing problem of electronic waste, highlighting your irresponsibility on a global scale.
Spotifyโs contempt for its users is further evident in your failure to deliver the long-promised HiFi tier, teased over three years ago with no follow-through. Competitors have been offering superior, lossless audio options for years while you leave subscribers in the dark with empty promises and subpar audio quality. Youโve not just fallen behind; youโve chosen stagnation.
Let me be clear: without the enhanced functionality provided by these APIs, Spotify is no longer worth my subscription. Your platform already lags in audio quality, transparency, and user-centric innovation. This decision to dismantle the API ecosystem is the final insult. If you fail to reinstate these critical endpoints or address the developer communityโs concerns by December 18th, I will cancel my subscription and take my business to platforms that respect their users and developers alike.
Spotifyโs survival as a platform hinges on trust, innovation, and collaborationโvalues youโve aggressively undermined with this decision. Restoring these APIs is the absolute bare minimum to signal any intention of respecting your community. Do better.
