The Verge had a write up on this years ago that answers your question [1].
I only remember it because I had the same reaction you did!
The short version is - different royalty rates + algorithm preferences.
While it may seem immaterial to each user, the ability to lower the royalty cost on billions of plays is likely material to Spotify's margins, which are already caught between the cost of the platform and the strongly defended royalty structure on most music.
I only remember it because I had the same reaction you did!
The short version is - different royalty rates + algorithm preferences.
While it may seem immaterial to each user, the ability to lower the royalty cost on billions of plays is likely material to Spotify's margins, which are already caught between the cost of the platform and the strongly defended royalty structure on most music.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2015/9/8/9260675/spotify-cover-song...