Wordle’s offshoot Heardle is a global craze played by music fans worldwide. It’s so popular that it has its spinoffs. But, less than a year after acquiring Heardle, Spotify is getting rid of it. This article will explain why this is happening and provide three Heardle alternatives to play instead. So let’s get this party started.
Spotify Is Killing Heardle
Heardle players are outraged after Spotify announced it was discontinuing the game. On the platform, players were greeted with a short message informing them that the game would be discontinued on May 5, 2023. Spotify also advises you to take a screenshot of your metrics before May 4, 2023, as you can no longer access them after that date.
The Heardle game was freed in February 2022, and Spotify acquired Heardle in July 2022. Heardle received much attention when it was first released, thanks to the game that inspired it—Wordle. Therefore, when Spotify acquired Heardle, one could argue that it was already set up for success.
So, what prompted the decision to do away with it so quickly?
Why Spotify Is Killing Heardle
While Spotify did not provide players with an explanation for the closure of Heardle, a spokesperson did provide TechCrunch with the following statement:
We have made the painful decision to say goodbye to Heardle to focus our efforts on other tools for music discovery.
So, there you have it: Spotify wants to focus on other music discovery initiatives. However, this can be perplexing because Heardle allows you to discover and play a potentially new song every day, regardless of whether you guessed correctly or not. But, unfortunately, Heardle also still had players in a chokehold.
So why destroy it? We have a few suggestions.
While many people enjoy playing Heardle, it has its challenges. Indeed, some people believe Spotify destroyed Heardle due to one or more of these issues.
While Heardle isn’t available everywhere, some people who have access to it have reported that the website suddenly stops allowing them to use it and instead displays the notification below.
At times, Heardle’s song selection fell flat.
Some of the songs featured were different from Billboard charts or commercial successes. They might have been more popular on other platforms, such as TikTok. This is a problem since it excludes a sizable demographic familiar with the classical music generally included on Heardle. It also makes guessing the song based just on the intro challenging.
Furthermore, It oddly featured songs by the same artists multiple times, which is irritating. Not to mention that it contradicts Spotify’s stated purpose of fostering music discovery. Green Day and Imagine Dragons, for example, are two acts that have had more than enough exposure on Heardle, particularly in a short period.
It isn’t the only feature that Spotify has dropped from its lineup, though that may be true. For example, Spotify shut down its live radio function, Spotify Live, in April 2023, after years of operation.
Heardle Alternatives You Should Play Instead
You may be wondering what you will do with your Heardle-dedicated minutes now that it is no longer available. Don’t worry; we’ve got a few choices for you.
1. Lyricle
Lyricle, as the name implies, challenges you to guess the song’s title or artist based on a line from the lyrics. You get six chances, just like Heardle. To make it easier, each wrong guess reveals another line of the song lyrics. After that, you have at most 10 minutes till the next song begins. You can pass the time by listening to the song you guessed on SoundCloud.
Lyricle is intended for music fans who are well-versed in song lyrics, so consider carefully before answering.
2. binb
Binb is unique in that it also functions as a 24-hour radio station. Joining a music genre is how you start. After that, you have roughly 30 seconds to guess both song titles and artists, all while competing with other players. The leaderboard is displayed on the screen so you can see who your opponents are.
3. Songlio
This is a free song-guessing game for your computer that includes both single-player and multiplayer modes. Choose from a variety of conventional and community-created quizzes. When it comes to playing Songlio, time is of the essence. You start by listening to a short song clip, and then you must type the song’s name as quickly as possible. In the end, whoever has the most points wins.
Play Music-Guessing Games for Free
While the news of Heardle’s demise by Spotify is disappointing, many other music-guessing games are available for free. So try the games in this article for something different but not too out of the ordinary.
