Spotify has a great brand, but that doesn&#x27;t solve the underlying poor economics of their model. With Apple and Google moving in, I&#x27;m not sure their brand is a long term advantage at this point. I just started trialing Youtube Music - $9.99 a month (US only at the moment) with free Google Play Music. And it&#x27;s pretty good. And I&#x27;m pretty sure Youtube is a bigger brand than Spotify.<p>Neither Google or Apple has to make money from their service - whereas Spotify must make money. It makes me wonder why Spotify hasn&#x27;t just gone after artists directly, because that&#x27;s the only way I see them making money long term.