Spotify is finally coming for YouTube’s crown. The streaming giant rolled out music videos to Premium users in the US and Canada on December 9, 2025. Now you can switch from listening to a track to watching its official video without ever leaving the app.
This isn’t Spotify’s first rodeo with video. They tested music videos in nearly 100 markets throughout 2024, and apparently it went well enough to bring the feature stateside. The goal is pretty obvious: keep you in Spotify instead of bouncing over to YouTube every time you want to watch a music video.
Using it is pretty simple. Search for a song or artist in the Spotify app on your phone, desktop, or even TV. If there’s a video available, you’ll see a “Switch to Video” toggle pop up over the album artwork. Tap it, and boom, you’re watching the full official video. Want to go back to just listening? Hit “Switch to Audio” and you’re good.
What You Can Actually Watch
The catalog is pretty limited at launch, but Spotify says it’ll grow over the coming months. You’ll find studio music videos, live performances, and covers from artists like Ariana Grande, Olivia Dean, and Addison Rae. Videos play in both portrait and landscape mode, so you can watch however feels comfortable.
One thing to note is that if you watch a video for at least 30 seconds, it counts toward royalties just like streaming audio does. That’s a win for artists, especially smaller acts trying to make a living off streaming. Spotify is working with major labels like Universal, Sony, and Warner, plus the National Music Publishers’ Association, to make sure everyone gets paid fairly. Indie creators can opt into the program through a dedicated portal.
Spotify has the data to back up why they’re doing this. Fans who watch music videos are 34% more likely to replay tracks and 24% more likely to save or share them within a week. Videos make songs stick in your brain better, which means more engagement for Spotify and more exposure for artists.
Right now, this is Premium-only. Free users will have to sit this one out, at least for now.
For Spotify, this is about becoming an all-in-one music hub. Instead of sending you to YouTube for visuals, they want to keep you in their ecosystem, whether you’re listening during your commute or watching on your couch. The catalog is still small, so it’s not replacing YouTube anytime soon. However, as more videos get added, it could change how people discover and connect with music. Especially on mobile, where switching between apps gets annoying fast.
