Spotify is the best music streaming service because of its network effects

The argument

Spotify pioneered the concept of a social media network existing within the app and enhancing music streaming services. All users, even non-paying ones, can create a profile from which they can share their own playlists, others' playlists, and their most recently listened-to artists. They can also find and follow friends; users who are following each other can see what song the other is listening to when they're on the app, and also create collaborative playlists. Spotify has integrated with other social media platforms; users are able to share their profiles and playlists, as well as links and snippets of specific songs, via sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. As of July 28, 2020 - likely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic - Spotify has also added an option for a "remote listening party" called Group Session to its platform. Group Session allows up to five Premium subscribers to listen to the same music or podcasts together, regardless of location. The many social media-esque aspects that Spotify has incorporated into the app has completely changed how we listen to music, which is why it is currently the best streaming service on the market, and likely will be for a long time. Brands and businesses have also taken advantage of Spotify's networking effects through the creation of their own sponsored playlists. This allows them to gain visibility while also reaching out to and engaging with consumers and artists in a positive way.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Most streaming services currently offer options to create playlists and share music with friends via social media. There are many critics of Spotify's social features, who claim that they are being underutilized due to mediocre product design and that there is plenty of room for improvement. Several web designers have even come forward with ideas that build upon Spotify's existing features and that they believe would advance Spotify's standing as a social media platform.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] "Pioneered" is a strong claim in a field with earlier entrants, and the features described are largely commodity features now. Profiles, playlist sharing, following and collaborative playlists are available across the major services, so nothing here yet distinguishes this one — the counter's first point. [Rejecting P2] Integration with other platforms is a distribution channel rather than a network effect. A network effect means the service becomes more valuable to each user as more people join, and most of the examples here describe exporting content out of the app rather than value accruing within it. [Rejecting P3] This is where the argument would be strongest and is least supported. The counter notes that the social features are widely regarded as underused, and the claim that they have changed how people listen goes unevidenced. "Best" is also a comparative judgement across catalogue and licensing, audio quality, price, recommendation, podcasts, device support and artist payment, and one feature — even a genuinely distinctive one — cannot settle it.