After years of smooth music streaming, Spotify now insists on ads that I paid to avoid

Spotify logo displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

I have been enjoying Spotify for a while, and I still do. A week or two ago — I have no way of remembering when precisely — because my weeks often feel blurry, my subscription came to an abrupt end.

I must have been travelling, otherwise I’d have renewed on the spot, because I am irritated by the adverts that come on the free version of the digital music streaming app, or the inability to skip or forward to a song of your choice, which is the liberty you enjoy on premium subscription.