- Third party clients are a thing, to the point where I really feel like I'm being sold a streaming service and not a tiny window through which I can occasionally listen to music. My normal media player is a python script that talks to an API. This is amazingly useful.
- When using Spotify-provided apps, there's the ability to save things for later offline listening. I haven't yet hit a limit on how many things I've been able to save.
- There's no limit on the number of devices I can use with the service, although I can only stream concurrently on one -- multiple offline devices have worked great though
- There isn't a time limit that certain content is available (this is much easier to feasibly achieve with audio compared to high-definition video, and a major difference between Spotify and services like Netflix).
This is sufficient usability, freedom, and value for money for me to subscribe with the knowledge that what I'm paying for is access to a library that Spotify has created and maintained. I used to rip/buy music on a regular basis and no longer really feel the need to do so. I think it's probably useful to consider what the differences are between services and specifically what makes them anti-consumer.
