Recently, Adele got Spotify to change the default auto-shuffle for its album pages and replace it with a traditional play button that sticks to the tracklist order.

But, was Adele right to request this? Is it good that Spotify accepted her request? Let's dive in.

Adele Is Right Because...

To get you up to speed, Spotify has removed the shuffle button from album pages because Adele requested it. Now, your default option to listen to an album is from the first song to the last, though you can still toggle the shuffle setting in the Now Playing view.

On one hand, credit to Adele for speaking from an artist's point of view and requesting a change that she believes in. In a world where art can be fickle and short-lived, it's always nice to see someone—no less, Adele—reiterate the care and effort put in a huge artistic project, such as an album, and all the work that goes into every part of it.

You could end it here and see this as a plus for Adele, Spotify, artists, and music lovers. Unfortunately, there's a side to this that doesn't benefit the last two parties at all.

Related: Does Spotify Care More About Podcasts Than Music?

Adele (but Mostly Spotify) Is Wrong Because…

the Spotify app on a laptop

Now, let's see why Adele is wrong to request this feature. While you could argue against Adele's request, the real issue is with Spotify, which we'll get to.

To start with Adele, one could argue that it's not her decision to control how her fans listen to her album, whether it be in order or not. That decision should be down to the fans.

Also, requesting that Spotify change the auto-shuffle feature is a more cosmetic change as opposed to making a statement on behalf of art, as Spotify hasn't fundamentally changed anything. You can still shuffle songs on an album should you like.

A final point to note here is that Adele's request glosses over the struggle most artists have with actually releasing the music they want, let alone in what order.

Not all artists will be in control of what music they release; that might be down to labels or other external influences.

Why the Real Problem Here Is With Spotify

Following this action, Chris Macowski, the head of music communications at Spotify, spoke to The Verge, saying:

As Adele mentioned, we are excited to share that we have begun rolling out a new Premium feature that has been long requested by both users and artists to make play the default button on all albums.

This statement is problematic for two reasons.

First, it is slightly troubling that Spotify has deemed something as basic as a default play button on albums a “new Premium feature”, given that this is one of the standard ways people listen to albums.

See more: How Can Spotify Convert More Free Users to Paying Customers?

Added to that is the fact that this feature "has been long requested by both users and artists". This feels similar to a backhanded compliment. Spotify is saying it knew that users and artists wanted this feature, yet only actually implemented it upon Adele's request.

If you're a Spotify user or artist that's been calling for this change for a while, how would you feel if you got nothing back from Spotify, then saw that it finally applied the change because Adele asked for it? It shows how this whole situation is both a superficial move and a PR victory for Spotify and Adele.

Adele can preach about artists and their stories, while not directly tackling the more critical issues that artists face with labels and, ironically, companies like Spotify, such as control over their music or poor payouts on streaming.

From this, Spotify can appear like a company that listens and respects artists. When, in reality, it listens to mega-successful and influential figures rather than its actual user base or lesser-known artists, all while sidestepping genuine problems people have with the streaming platform.

Both Adele and Spotify Win, but Not Anyone Else

At the end of the day, what Spotify has applied is a hollow change, seeing as you can still play albums on shuffle.

What this move has done, however, is given both Spotify and Adele a PR boost whilst sidestepping genuine concerns artists have with the platform as well as user feedback.

Sadly, the real losers here are fans of the streaming platform as well as any artist that isn't "Adele" status (i.e., most artists), as Spotify seems more concerned with good PR than actually engaging with its users.