Spotify is a digital music streaming platform. It offers different kinds of subscriptions: Spotify Free, Spotify Premium, and Spotify Family. If you want to know how to download music from Spotify, you need to know that the free version does not allow it. So for offline listening, the latter choices should be your kind of subscription.
That’s right; only the paid versions of Spotify allow you to download music on your device. That is what we will cover in this guide. There are several ways you can download Spotify music. Whether you download it from the app or you want it straight to your computer, we have you covered.
DisclaimerOur website does not promote acts of piracy and copyright infringement. This article only aims to inform individuals about the different ways you can download music from Spotify using the premium service.
How to Download Music from Spotify Premium on Your PC
So you want to download music from your Spotify to your PC? First, you need to know that Spotify is a bit picky about what it allows its users to download on certain devices. And since you’re downloading songs on your PC, you can only save those from your liked songs and playlists.
Downloading is easy enough. You can save the entire catalog of music by just flicking a switch. But before you begin the download, the most vital thing to have is an internet connection. To download, check out the step-by-step guide below:
- Download the Spotify application on your desktop.
- Log into your Spotify account. Make sure that your account is on a Premium subscription. If you don’t have a Premium account, check out this comprehensive guide.
- Like the songs or playlist you want to download, so you can download them on your curated playlists. To like a song/playlist, click on the heart icon beside the “play” button. If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to download the songs.
- Toggle the download switch to save your songs offline. You can find it in the upper-right corner of any playlist. This may take a while, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
- You can find your offline playlist from the “Playlists” section of the application.
How to Download Music from Spotify Premium on Your Mac
Downloading music on Spotify on your Mac is easy. It’s almost the same as the one for PC. On Spotify’s website, download the application available for Mac. You have the option to choose which version is compatible with your OS. Once downloaded, you can follow the steps above to download.
Once you’ve saved the songs of your choice, you just need to flick a switch to save the entire catalog. Make sure that you have a working internet connection so you will be able to download any of the music. Now all you need to do is relax with a good pair of headphones and that sweet, sweet music.
Is Downloading Music from Spotify Illegal or Legal?
Music streaming services have been under a lot of controversies. Just think about Taylor Swift’s infamous feud with Spotify. She had claimed it didn’t offer enough compensation for artists. So there has always been a question of whether downloading music from Spotify is legal.
In a nutshell: yes and no. Copyright laws state that using work without the permission of the owner is illegal. And some songs and playlists from Spotify have copyright. But artists freely give away and provide the songs for download on the internet. So it’s technically legal. Let’s break down what is legal and illegal according to copyright law.
Legal
Downloading copyrighted songs that artists have been available for download is legal. In this case, the artist is allowing the free distribution of their work. They are posting it themselves and controlling the distribution. So, downloading a song from the Spotify application is legal. They have several songs available, which are all copyrighted, for offline use.
Illegal
Downloading songs or playlists to which you do not hold the copyright is illegal. You are in possession of copyrighted material once you’ve downloaded it.
To remain legal, you must abide by usage restrictions on the music. For example, the music is for your personal use only. You can’t profit from it. By downloading these songs from Spotify, you agree to any restrictions there may be on the music. Downloading music with the intent of commercial use is illegal. You may have to answer to fines depending on the gravity of the situation.
You should also note that some social media platforms can detect this. YouTube will demonetize any videos using copyright content. And Instagram can remove any music from your video on the spot.
