How do I stop ads from interrupting music?
Understand Why Ads Interrupt Music
Streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube Music rely heavily on advertising revenue to sustain their business models. Most of these platforms operate on a freemium model, offering limited features for free while generating income from intermittent audio and display ads (BusinessofApps, 2023). This revenue helps offset what can be hefty licensing fees paid to record labels, music publishers, and other rights holders for access to vast catalogs of music.
The licensing costs involved with streaming platforms are quite substantial. According to one source, Spotify paid record labels over $3.5 billion in royalties in 2020, which amounted to about 70% of their total revenue for the year (Yellowbrick, 2023). Pandora paid over $1.2 billion in 2021 for the licensing rights to stream music on its ad-supported service. So those periodic ad interruptions help keep the music streaming free or low cost for listeners.
Subscribe to an Ad-Free Service
One of the most effective ways to avoid advertisements interrupting your music is to subscribe to an ad-free music service. Popular options include Spotify Premium, YouTube Premium, Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and TIDAL HiFi. These all offer ad-free listening for a monthly subscription fee.
For example, with Spotify Premium you can enjoy interrupt-free music for $9.99 per month. This removes all the ads from Spotify’s free tier. YouTube Premium provides ad-free music streaming from YouTube Music for $11.99 per month. Similarly, Apple Music is $9.99 per month for unlimited access to songs and playlists without advertisements.
The main benefit of paid, ad-free music services is convenience. You can listen to whatever you want without annoying pauses or audio interruptions. The audio quality is often higher as well. This requires paying a subscription, but for many music lovers it’s worth the price for a superior listening experience.
Use an Ad Blocker
One of the most effective ways to stop ads from interrupting your music listening experience is to use an ad blocker. Ad blockers are browser extensions or mobile apps that can detect and block ads from loading on websites or in apps. Popular ad blockers like uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, and AdGuard work by blocking requests from ad networks and hiding ad content before it ever reaches your screen.
For music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, and YouTube Music, ad blockers can prevent audio and visual ads from interrupting your listening. On mobile, iOS apps like Spotify Ad Blocker can block ads in the Spotify app. On Android, ad blocker browsers like Brave can block mobile ads. So if you want to enjoy nonstop music, installing an ad blocker is one of the simplest fixes.
Download or Buy Music
One way to avoid ads interrupting your music listening is to download or purchase the music outright. Services like iTunes and Amazon Music allow you to buy digital music downloads directly from their catalogues. According to Statista, digital music downloads still account for 15% of music industry revenues, even as streaming grows more popular. Once downloaded, these files can be played on your devices without any ad interruptions.
You can also purchase physical formats like CDs and vinyl records from music stores, Amazon, and other retailers. According to Blossom Street Ventures, while overall physical music sales have declined, vinyl has seen a resurgence with over 14 million records sold in 2020. Playing purchased physical media provides an ad-free listening experience.
The main benefit of downloads and physical purchases compared to streaming is the lack of ads during listening. However, they do require directly purchasing each album or song you want to hear.
Listen to Radio or Podcasts
Non-on-demand audio like radio stations and podcasts often have fewer or no ads compared to music streaming services. Terrestrial radio only runs about 15 minutes of ads per hour on average (Source: https://www.adresultsmedia.com/news-insights/is-radio-advertising-effective/). Radio reaches over 90% of U.S. adults weekly and accounts for almost 40% of audio listening time, significantly higher than streaming services (Source: https://variety.com/2021/music/news/radio-signal-fading-streaming-1234904387/). Switching to radio, especially during drive time, can provide an ad-free or reduced ad listening experience.
Many podcasts are ad-free or only have ads read by the hosts. There are over one million podcasts to choose from, on every topic imaginable. While podcast ads can’t be skipped like radio ads, the hosts often keep them short and relevant. If ads still irritate you, services like Stitcher Premium provide completely ad-free podcast listening.
Use the Mute Button
One simple way to avoid hearing ads while listening to music is to use the mute button on your device or music app. When an ad starts playing, you can quickly press mute to silence it. Just make sure you remember to unmute when your music returns, so you don’t miss anything.
This allows you to avoid listening to the ads entirely without fully interrupting your music. You’ll still experience a break in the music, but won’t have to actually hear the advertisement. Using mute gives you a moment of relief while the ad plays.
According to the Audio Ad Specs from Spotify, the standard length for an audio ad is usually 30 to 60 seconds. So only expect to have your music muted for less than a minute before being able to resume listening.
The key is being ready to hit mute as soon as an ad begins, and promptly unmuting once your music starts again. With good timing, you can mute/unmute seamlessly and avoid hearing most music streaming ads.
Just don’t forget to unmute or you might miss more of your music than just the ads!
Plan Your Listening
One way to avoid interruptions from ads while listening to music is to plan ahead and download music for offline listening. This is especially useful when you know you’ll be in a situation without internet access, like on a plane or commute through a dead zone. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube let you download select tracks, albums, or playlists for offline listening (1). Consider downloading your favorite songs or playlists before you leave for your trip or commute so you can listen ad-free. You can also purchase music to download through services like iTunes or Amazon Music, giving you permanent offline access.
Planning your listening in advance takes a bit more effort, but ensures you can enjoy continuous music without pesky ad interruptions. Download content when you have internet access at home or work to avoid eating up data. Keep your offline content updated by refreshing downloads regularly. With some planning, you can seamlessly listen to music offline and avoid disruptive ad breaks.
Give Feedback to Services
One way to potentially reduce ad interruptions is to directly give feedback to music streaming services. Their customer support teams monitor issues raised by users in order to improve the listening experience. Here are some tips on respectfully complaining to streaming companies about excessive ads:
Contact customer support directly via email, phone, or chat. Explain your concerns professionally and constructively. For example: “I really enjoy using Spotify, but find the frequency of audio ads disruptive to my listening. Is there any way to reduce the ad interruptions?” Provide specific details like when and where the ads occur. You’re more likely to get a helpful response by asking politely rather than venting frustration.
Look for online feedback forms on the streaming service’s website. For example, Spotify has a “Contact Us” page at https://www.spotify.com/us/about-us/contact/ where you can voice concerns. Tidal also has a feedback form at https://tidal.com/contact.
Post on the company’s social media pages or forums. Complaining publicly tends to solicit faster responses from brands worried about public perception. Just remember to remain constructive and avoid aggressive tone.
If enough users provide the same feedback, streaming companies may reconsider their ad policies or provide more options to limit interruptions. However, temper expectations, as advertising is a major revenue source for free services.
Reconsider Your Listening Habits
Analyzing when and why you listen to music can help identify opportunities to reduce ad interruptions. Research shows that music listening serves various psychological functions like regulating mood, enjoying aesthetics, and seeking self-awareness (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741536/). Consider if you use music primarily for mood enhancement or as background noise. If so, you may have more flexibility in when you listen. Also reflect on triggers that prompt you to play music, like boredom or wanting distraction. Being mindful of your motivations and patterns can reveal chances to substitute other activities.
Additionally, examine what specific aspects of advertisements cause frustration. Factors like volume, repetition, or disruption of flow may be minimized by planning listening around ad schedules. If interconnectivity with social media is bothersome, disabling links may provide relief. Understanding your irritation points enables selectively avoiding periods or modes of listening that enable annoying ad delivery.
Accept Advertisements
Ads support free services and pay artists. Enduring some ads enables access for all. Streaming services like Spotify offer free, ad-supported versions to provide music to users who may not be able to pay a monthly fee. According to Business of Apps, over 182 million users stream music for free on Spotify’s ad-supported tier. These advertising models allow companies to offer unlimited on-demand music at no cost, expanding access.
Advertisers compensate artists and labels each time an ad plays before or during a song. While subscription and purchase revenue goes to rights holders as well, ads provide an additional income stream. Artists made over $800 million from Spotify advertising in 2021 alone, according to Spotify’s year-end report. Enduring occasional ads helps support creator royalties.
With many listeners unwilling to pay monthly fees, ad-funded tiers widen the potential audience. Music services can reach casual listeners, expanding their user base. Allowing ads enables more people to legally access expansive catalogs from their favorite artists.