Spotify for Libraries

[eawrexlibris]

Does Spotify sell subscriptions to Libraries? One of my music faculty asked that the library subscribe to Spotify.

[user-removed]

Hey @eawrexlibris,

Your library faculty staff will have to use Spotify-backed Sountrack Business. You can find out more about them here: https://www.soundtrackyourbrand.com/

Using a user Spotify account to stream music to a public place is not permitted.

Cheers,

Tim

[eawrexlibris]

Hi @ItsPugle,

Thanks for the reply. It looks like Soundtrack Business is designed to stream music into the public airwaves of businesses, for example a restaurant or bar. I can also see where the service might be useful in the classroom if a professor wanted to demonstrate a particular recording.

However, those are not the use cases I had in mind. My use case is providing the individual Spotify Premium experience to the faculty and students at my institution. For example many students come into the library, plug in their headphones to a library computer, and login to their Spotify Free account. According to a music faculty member, his students don't spring for the premium version. Physical media is dead, dying, or relegated to niche status and even streaming services such as Naxos Music Library are severely underutilized. I'm trying to figure out a way to legally provide an updated music experience to my constituents.

I feel pretty sure that Spotify's answer is students can opt for the $4.99 per month plan and faculty can afford $10/month. However, many students at my institution will not do so. Spotify may be missing an opportunity here regarding universities. They could make institutional accounts available to educational entities, obviously charging universities significantly more than they do for individual memberships. Then graduates who have experienced the service may be more inclined to continue as subscribers.

Based on my experience, the only companies that offer the kind of streaming services I'm describing are Alexander Street Press, the afore-mentioned Naxos, and Freegal.

[user-removed]

Hey @eawrexlibris,

Sorry about that misconfusion! You can go and make vibes with your suggestion over at the Community Ideas Exchange: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Community-Ideas/idb-p/communityideas.

Cheers!

Tim

[eawrexlibris]

Unfortunately, I don't have sufficient privileges to submit a community idea. Nevertheless, I'm sure this is the way forward for my inquiry.

[user-removed · Accepted solution]

Sorry about that, @eawrexlibris! I accidentally linked you to the wrong page (I think).

You should be able to suggest that idea over at this one: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/idb-p/ideas_live.

[eawrexlibris]

Thanks, @ItsPugle. Yes, I can submit a Live Idea. That's where I'll take my suggestion.