Spotify Premium users have reported being served adverts while listening to music, despite paying a monthly fee to avoid them.
Incensed customers of the Sweden-based audio streaming service, which had 675 million users at last count, are demanding refunds and threatening to switch to alternatives after allegedly encountering multiple ads between tracks.
In addition, some users haven’t been able to play their chosen songs, leading to speculation that a bug may be to blame.
But it is an issue that can be rectified.
What are Spotify users saying?
“Why am I being forced to listen to multiple adverts when I pay for a Premium Account?,” wrote a flummoxed Spotify user on X (formerly Twitter).
“Even says ‘Ad Free Listening’ under my account settings…. What gives?? This has never happened before”.
“I hope we get a refund for each advert we are forced to listen to,” added the same user in a follow-up post.
“We've had 7 ads in 20 minutes. Always paid for premium, so honestly it's the first time I've ever heard them,” wrote another user on Reddit.
@Spotify Why am I being forced to listen to multiple adverts when I pay for a Premium Account?
— Lewis Martin (@LewisMartin_) March 6, 2025
Even says ‘Ad Free Listening’ under my account settings…. What gives?? This has never happened before pic.twitter.com/EFZvycF5M8
“Keeps playing completely random songs. My partner clicked on a Pinegrove song on my phone and it started playing a country song we'd never heard,” wrote another Spotify Premium user on Reddit.
Some users are speculating that Spotify may have accidentally downgraded them to the free tier, while others fear the error may signal something more ominous.
“Calling it now: they're gonna create a more expensive premium tier to listen ad-free. The current price will just be for the features but with ads,” wrote a Reddit user.
The comments come as YouTube has introduced a new “Premium Lite” subscription plan in the US, which lets paying customers skip ads on most - but not all - videos.
How to fix Spotify ‘bug’ that plays ads on Premium
Spotify is investigating the issue, according to a post on its community support forum.
In the meantime, the company is advising Premium customers who are hearing ads to log out and back in two or three times in a row to solve the problem.
The issue appears to be affecting users across platforms, from the Spotify mobile app to the Xbox app.
“A small number of users were affected by this new issue and our teams have already deployed a fix,” a Spotify spokesperson told The Standard.
How much does Spotify Premium cost?
Spotify became the juggernaut it is today by offering both free and premium access to its vast music library, licensed from top record labels.
Following two price hikes in less than a year, Spotify users currently pay £11.99 to listen sans ads. Premium users also get perks like offline downloads and unlimited skips, while those listening for free are stuck on shuffle.
Both free and paying users are served ads during podcasts, however, including pre-recorded messages and shout-outs to sponsors.
Spotify is reportedly gearing up to release its long-awaited high-end subscription plan this year. The new tier should see the company catch up to rivals Apple Music and Amazon Music by delivering high-quality audio streams, and possibly some AI-powered extras to sweeten the deal.
