Spotify launches music videos in the U.S. and Canada for Premium subscribers

Summary

Spotify is launching music videos in the U.S., Canada and a handful of other markets, following the feature’s launch in beta in overseas markets last year. The videos, which are provided by music labels under new agreements, will be available only to paying subscribers on Spotify’s Premium plan, and can be streamed on its iOS, Android, desktop, and TV apps. Users will start seeing a new option to “Switch to video” Spotify when they’re listening to a song. The video will then begin playing from where the song is currently — a change from how the earlier beta worked. Users can switch back to music-only by pressing “Switch to audio” at any time. The videos can be played full-screen when the phone is in landscape orientation, the company says. spotifyImage Credits:Spotify After you make the switch, the music video will replace the short, looping video that typically accompanies tracks unless you disable the feature in the settings. By the end of the month, Spotify will have video-specific playlists available for subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, like 90s Video Hits, Hip-Hop Throwbacks, Latin Party Hits, Country Hits, and Pop Music Video Hits. Users will also see personalized video recommendations on the app’s home screen. Bringing music videos to the key U.S. market will help Spotify better compete with YouTube, which today offers its own music streaming service and has been moving into podcasts. Spotify has sought to fight the latter threat by adding support for video podcasts, as well as other social features like comments, Q&As, and polls, making the app feel more like a social network. Techcrunch event San Francisco | October 13-15, 2026 Spotify News that Spotify’s music video feature would soon arrive in the U.S. was leaked last month, following the company’s deal with the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) in November. Under the expanded partnership, the streaming service launched an opt-in portal that allows NMPA members to enter a direct license agr...