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Spotify finally adds a feature YouTube Music has had forever
Dec 9, 2025 — 4:18 PM ET
- Spotify Premium users in the US and Canada can now switch to video on select tracks.
- YouTube Music has had this since 2015, Apple Music since 2016.
- The initial catalog is limited during beta.
Spotify is rolling out music videos to Premium subscribers in the US and Canada, finally matching a feature YouTube Music and Apple Music have offered for years. The beta gives users access to a limited catalog of official videos, live performances, and covers from artists like Ariana Grande, Tyler Childers, and BABYMONSTER.
How it works
Premium subscribers can tap “Switch to video” on supported tracks across mobile, desktop, and TV apps. The video picks up where the audio left off, and you can switch back to audio mode for background listening. The catalog is “limited for now” with no timeline for when it’ll match YouTube Music’s library. You can browse related videos on artist profiles or through curated playlists like “90s Video Hits.”
The catch
Video streaming demands significantly more storage and bandwidth than audio—likely why Spotify is limiting the beta to two markets and Premium subscribers only. The company turned its first profit in 2023, but scaling video infrastructure represents a substantial ongoing cost with uncertain returns.
Spotify claims users who discover tracks with videos are 34% more likely to stream them again and 24% more likely to save or share them. But these numbers don’t address whether users actually wanted videos on Spotify, or if they’d simply engage with those tracks anyway on YouTube.
Does this matter?
For artists, music videos already live on YouTube, where they generate ad revenue and reach non-subscribers. Spotify’s feature adds another touchpoint alongside tools like Canvas (those looping background clips), but it also creates pressure: if competitors are making videos, can you afford not to?
For listeners, the question is simpler: if you want to watch a music video, why not just open YouTube? It has every video Spotify might add, plus unofficial content, reactions, and covers. Spotify’s integration is convenient if you’re already in the app, but that doesn’t explain why this took nearly a decade longer than competitors.
Is Spotify adding music videos valuable to you?
Music videos will be available to all Premium subscribers in the US and Canada by the end of December.
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