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Android Authority found Spotify developing a 'Cache Limit' feature for its Android app, letting users set a maximum size for the app's temporary storage cache. The tool would warn that smaller limits increase mobile data use and could affect playback, while suggesting a default size for balance. Downloaded music and podcasts stored offline would remain unaffected by this cache limit.
Winamp, the once-dominant MP3 player from the late 1990s known for its llama mascot, is returning to relevance through a partnership with streaming platform Deezer. The two companies plan to launch a subscription-based streaming service next year, positioning Winamp as a competitor to established players like Spotify.
Spotify is trialing a 'Premium Early Access' feature that withholds new album releases from free users for three days in select markets like India and Bangladesh, while paying subscribers get immediate access. The delay reportedly stems from licensing terms pushed by Universal Music Group rather than a decision Spotify made unilaterally, and the same restriction is expected to hit rival ad-supported services like YouTube Music and Amazon Music.
A new essay argues that platforms like YouTube, Spotify, LinkedIn and Reddit increasingly control what users see rather than letting them choose, citing doomscrolling recommendations, AI-generated filler music, sponsored opinions on LinkedIn, and bot-driven discussions on Reddit. The piece uses the 'Tetris effect' to illustrate how sustained, algorithm-driven focus reshapes thought patterns without users' explicit consent.
Cassette tapes, the dominant music format before CDs and streaming, are generally expected to last around 30 years even under ideal conditions, since their magnetic coating gradually loses lubrication and can detach over time. However, actual longevity depends heavily on how tapes were stored, with many well-kept cassettes from the 1970s and 80s still playable today.
At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, design executives from Spotify, Block, and Brooks discussed how generative AI has sped up the process of turning ideas into products. During the New Rules of Great Design panel, Spotify's Emily Galloway argued that speed and volume alone don't equal quality, emphasizing that human judgment remains essential to deciding what actually gets built.
A 404 Media investigation found scammers can upload AI-generated tracks and pass them off as new releases from existing artists on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and other platforms. By exploiting a loophole in digital distribution services like DistroKid, bad actors simply falsely claim to be the artist, letting the fake songs land directly on real catalogs and pull in streaming royalties meant for the original musician.
Spotify is broadening its podcast partner program this fall to 35 additional regions, including Italy, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Chile, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas. Podcasters in these markets will be able to earn revenue from both ad and Premium subscriber activity across video and audio formats, while retaining sponsorship income and freedom to distribute elsewhere.
Spotify introduced Fresh Finds Forward, a program offering artists placed on any Fresh Finds playlist after January 1, 2026 a year of extra support. Benefits include free studio sessions at notable US studios, early access to Spotify tools, priority partnerships for tours and videos, software subscriptions from Landr and Splice, and six months of free therapy via BetterHelp.
Spotify's new Lossless tier delivers CD-quality, uncompressed audio, but Bluetooth connections can't transmit a true lossless signal, meaning wireless earbuds and speakers won't benefit. Listeners need wired headphones, USB-C earbuds, wired computer speakers, or Wi-Fi-based Spotify Connect devices to actually hear the improved quality, and even then, cheap audio hardware may not reveal a noticeable difference.
At a Fast Company panel moderated by senior editor Liz Stinson, product and design leaders from Brooks Running, Block and Spotify discussed how artificial intelligence is reshaping the process of building products consumers want. The conversation centered on balancing faster AI-assisted workflows with genuine consumer appeal amid growing market competition.
Apple Music and Spotify both include adjustable audio quality and equalizer settings that can noticeably improve sound on an iPhone. Users can raise streaming quality tiers in each app's settings menu, then fine-tune sound using built-in EQ presets or custom sliders. Volume normalization features like Apple's Sound Check and Spotify's Volume normalization can also be toggled to balance loudness across tracks.