So Sick Edits

Adele Single-Handedly Made Spotify Change How Albums Are Played on the Streaming Service

Spotify users listening to Adele’s 30 will hear the album as the singer intended after the streaming service promised to remove the default shuffle feature from the LP, as per Adele’s request.

“This was the only request I had in our ever changing industry! We don’t create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason,” Adele tweeted Saturday night. 

“Our art tells a story and our stories should be listened to as we intended. Thank you Spotify for listening.”

Spotify tweeted back, “Anything for you.” The streaming service, controversially, long allowed for shuffling to be the default playback option for albums, as opposed to the artists’ own curated track order.

(As of writing, the shuffle function — two intersecting arrows — still appeared, albeit much smaller, on the 30 page on Spotify, allowing users to randomize the track list. However, some users on social media reported that the shuffle option had been eliminated for them on the album page.)

Spotify did not respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment at press time; it’s unclear whether the shuffle decision is a blanket policy for all albums on the streaming service or limited to Adele’s LPs. Playlists will continue to be shuffle-able.


30, Adele’s “best album yet,” arrived on Friday. In addition to streaming, the LP is available in a variety of formats and exclusive editions. 

Adele also appears on the cover of current issue of Rolling Stone, and revealed she has a secret TikTok account and dreams of singing the hook on a hip-hop track.