Spotify takes on YouTube: Music streaming app now lets you watch full music videos – but there’s a catch

It is currently the go-to platform for music videos.

But YouTube is now facing tough competition from Spotify, which has just launched music video for Spotify users in 11 countries.

Spotify hopes the new feature will allow fans to ‘dive deeper into an artist’s music’.

“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,” said Charlie Hellman, Vice President and Head of Music Product at Spotify.

‘They are an important part of so many artists’ toolkits, and it’s natural for them to live in the same place that more than half a billion people choose to listen to music.’

Spotify already has a number of video options available.

This includes 30-second clips that artists can add to their album pages or artist profiles, and Canvas – a short, looping visual that artists can add to tracks.

However, until now, users have not been able to watch full music videos in the app.

The feature was announced today and is described as a ‘powerful way for fans to discover and connect with music.’

In a post on its blog, Spotify explained: ‘Spotify is where fans go to delve deeper into an artist’s music.

“So whether you’re a superfan who wants to revisit the videos you love and share with friends, or a casual fan looking for new releases, music videos create a new point of connection with artists.”

A ‘short catalogue’ of music videos will start rolling out in the UK, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia, Philippines, Indonesia and Kenya from today.

This includes songs from global artists Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat and Ice Spice.

However, there is an important catch – the feature is only available in beta for Premium users.

If you’re a Premium user in one of these 11 markets, simply go to your iOS, Android, desktop or TV device and select “Switch to Video” to get supported music tracks.

The music video will then start playing in the Now Playing view.

To view the video in full screen, please set your mobile device to landscape mode.

If you want to return to background listening, you can press ‘Switch to audio’ at any time.

“In this beta launch, we will continue to innovate and iterate based on feedback from users and artists alike,” Spotify added.

‘Stay tuned as we hope to expand the catalog of music videos and bring the feature to more users and countries.’