• Spotify is rolling out the ability to switch between audio and a music video in select markets.
• Premium subscribers in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya can use the feature.
• The feature is still in beta but Spotify says it intends to roll music videos out to more territories.

As the battle for your subscription budget continues, Spotify has launched a feature that YouTube Music subscribers have enjoyed for some time now.

That feature is the ability to switch between pure audio and a music video on demand. Music videos are launching in as many as 11 markets for Spotify Premium subscribers today. Sadly South Africa isn’t one of those countries. For Premium subscribers in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya however, music videos should be available right now.

The feature is still in beta so users should expect oddities. As per a press release, there are only a few artists with music videos available, namely Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Ice Space, Aluna and Asake.

“So many times in my own experience and for countless others, music videos play a key role in hooking you: taking you from being a listener to leaning in and becoming a fan,” says Charlie Hellman, Vice President and Head of Music Product at Spotify.

“They’re an important part of so many artists’ tool kits, and it’s a natural fit for them to live in the same place that more than half a billion people choose to listen to music.”

The streaming platform says that it intends to make music videos available to more countries but didn’t give any indication of when that will happen. We suspect that adding video streaming to the mix adds a fair bit of strain to Spotify’s infrastructure so it needs to take things slow.

Unfortunately for the platform, YouTube Music has offered all subscribers the ability to seamlessly switch between audio and a music video for as long as we can remember. Curiously, YouTube Music highlighted this feature just a few days ago. We wonder if somebody was anticipating this new feature from Spotify.

We suppose the feature is a welcome addition to Spotify and may help to enhance the experience for those who choose to subscribe to the platform. When and if it eventually launches for them.