【Dear Utol (2025): Binyag Episode 43】

You can Dear Utol (2025): Binyag Episode 43be happy for one artist while wanting better for others. That's the takeaway from a recent exchange between Adele and Spotify, involving the streaming service's controversial auto-shuffle feature. 

On Saturday, Adele retweeted a post from entertainment news site Pop Crave, confirming Spotify had removed the auto-shuffle feature on the premium version of her new album, 30. This means subscribers listening on the platform will not have the tracks randomized by default. Instead, 30's songs will play in the order designed for the album, unless the listener chooses to shuffle them.  

"We don't create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason," the Grammy winner wrote on Twitter. "Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening." 

"Anything for you," Spotify's official accountwrote in response, adding prayer hands and sparkle emoji to highlight what seemed like a maybe not-so-great point.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Fans were quick to argue the feature should be available to all artists. (There was also some confusion as to whether this meant the shuffle feature was being removed altogether, which to be clear: it is not.) One fan shared an old tweet from Lady Gaga, posted for Chromatica's release in 2020,to underscore the point of equity between artists. 

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"Please listen from the beginning to the end," Gaga wrote at the time. "[N]o need to shuffle, it's my true story."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Who gets to tell their stories and why have long been hot seat questions for those of power and privilege. But as the music industry changes with the digital landscape, the issue of how these works are presented is becoming just as contentious. The good news is it seems Spotify is getting the message about this being a problem. 

Responding to a request for comment via email, a Spotify spokesperson told Mashable auto-shuffle would soon be removed for all albums on the premium (aka paid) version of the platform. 

"As Adele mentioned, we are excited to share that we have begun rolling out a new Premium feature that has long been requested by both users and artists to make play the default button on all albums," they said. "For those users still wishing to shuffle an album, they can go to the Now Playing View and select the shuffle toggle. As always, we will continue to iterate our products and features to create the best experiences for both artists and their fans." 

Notably, this means auto-shuffle will remain for any listeners who use the free version of the platform. That considerably undermines the point of removing the feature from an artistic standpoint, since Spotify has roughly as many ad-supported users as it does paid subscribers.What's more, this small tweak doesn't begin to address the hugely problematic role Spotify plays in the ongoing fight to get streaming artists properly compensated. 

Spotify's ad-supported '30' (left) and premium '30' (right). Note the shuffle icon removed. Credit: Screenshot: Alison Foreman/Spotify

Still, it's a promising sign in a month full of major music news. With Taylor Swift reclaiming Redand Adele's win against auto-shuffle, the journey to put the music industry back into the hands of musicians is riding a strong updraft. Let's just hope the tables keep turning, and bad faith virtue signaling doesn't make a comeback.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Turn your body movements into music thanks to this wristband

---

Topics Music

• Shopping
• Life
• Games
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Deals
• Science
• Social Good

• Australian Open 2025 livestream: Watch live tennis for free
• Secluded library retreat is a book lover's dream
• Idris Elba's Golden Globes selfie with Daniel Craig is 007 perfection
• Mark Zuckerberg's new $3 billion goal: Cure, prevent and manage all disease
• The Portable Workstation: Dell XPS 13 + 32 UltraSharp 4K Monitor
• Eagles fans Venmo Bears kicker to thank him for missing field goal
• Mark Zuckerberg's new $3 billion goal: Cure, prevent and manage all disease
• Amazon charges customers more by favoring its own products and sellers, report finds
• Blockchain Explained: How It Works, Who Cares and What Its Future May Hold
• FoldiMate's $1000 laundry

• Best Apple Watch deal: Get an Apple Watch Series 9 for 27% off
• “Then Things Went Bad”: How I Won $264 at Preakness by Tarpley Hitt
• Best noise
• The Review’s Review: Emma Bovary at the Opera by Ann Manov
• 6 scientists are living like they're on Mars for the next 8 months
• The Badlands Twitter account is the ultimate climate rebel
• Government scientists are caught between new gag order and their own ethics policies
• iPad Air, iPad Pro: The rumored release date window for the ‘biggest revamp ever’
• Mysterious Twitter account steps forward to lead the National Park resistance
• Yelp introduces AI

• Donald Trump talked about space and Buzz Aldrin's face says it all
• Apple is bringing iTunes and AirPlay 2 to Samsung TVs
• Airbnb and its critics take to TV as tensions escalate
• Man purchases $3.1 million tuna, has some ... regrets
• Eric Wei's essentials for creating podcasts and running a business
• Samsung's new Space monitor is perfect for tiny offices
• Here's how to hold your own Robert Mueller vigil
• 'Bachelor' contestant puts on fake Australian accent, and people aren't convinced
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for January 28, 2025
• New 'Alien' mobile game looks like 'Five Nights at Freddy's' in space

• Moto Z Battery Beast: Mod Delivers Best in Class Smartphone Battery Life
• Apple is bringing iTunes and AirPlay 2 to Samsung TVs
• Netflix delivers a savage Golden Globes burn
• This might be the first real photo of Samsung's Galaxy S10
• Roborock Saros Z70 at CES 2025: A huge flex
• What happens when a terror suspect is caught alive?
• We now know exactly how many times Trump has tweeted his favorite insults
• Overeager giraffe gets a little too friendly during local news report
• Best laptop deal: Save $390.99 on the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i
• Ledger's new hardware cryptocurrency wallet has Bluetooth support