Have you ever been listening to Spotify, and an absolutely amazing song comes on that you just have to have in your personal collection? Or maybe you want to create a custom workout playlist from your favorite high-energy Spotify tracks to motivate you at the gym when you don’t have internet access.
Unfortunately, Spotify doesn’t allow you to directly download songs for offline playback. However, with the right tools, you can record streaming audio from Spotify to get your favorite jams and playlists whenever and wherever you want.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk through the various methods and software for recording Spotify content on both desktop and mobile devices. With just a few easy steps, you can capture songs, albums, or entire playlists from Spotify to enjoy offline or integrate into creative projects.
Keep reading to unlock the ability to record music while listening to Spotify and no longer be restricted by what you can play when an internet connection is available. Let’s dive in!
Desktop Recording Options
On the desktop, you have a couple of options for recording music while listening to Spotify.
Audio Hijack – This Mac program lets you record any audio from your computer, including Spotify streams. It has advanced controls for fine-tuning recordings.
Ocenaudio – A free cross-platform editor that can record computer audio. More than just a recorder, it’s designed for audio editing.
Audacity – Popular open-source audio software for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides recording features along with editing tools.
Cinch Audio Recorder – Made specifically for recording streaming audio sources like Spotify. Super simple setup and intuitive controls. Auto track splitting and ID3 tagging make this my top recommendation.
Here’s how easy recording Spotify is with Cinch(5 steps):
Step 1: Download and install Cinch Recorder if you don’t already have it.
Step 2:Launch Spotify on your computer and start playing music.
Step 3: Open Cinch and click the Record button. It automatically detects Spotify and starts capturing the audio.
Step 3: Let the recording run as long as you want to record your Spotify playlist. It will split your recording as each single song with ID3 tags(title, singer, album)
Step 5: Stop the recording when done. Cinch will finalize the audio files, and you can export them as MP3s!
With just a few clicks, you can start capturing Spotify streams in high quality, automatically split into tracks with ID3 metadata tags. This makes it easy to get recordings of your favorite playlists and albums to enjoy offline or use in creative projects. The automatic track splitting and tagging in Cinch saves a lot of time compared to recording one long file and splitting it up manually later.
Mobile Recording Techniques
Recording a video while playing music aloud on your iPhone can be tricky as the two don’t work simultaneously. This guide will walk through three methods to get around that limitation.
Method 1: Use the Default Camera App
- Start playing the desired music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- Open the default iPhone camera app. Do not switch to video mode.
- Hold down the shutter button to record a video. This will capture video while music plays.
- The video will be in photo aspect ratio, not widescreen.
Method 2: Cast Music to a Smart Speaker
- Start playing music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- Cast/Airplay the music to an Echo, Google Home, or Wi-Fi-connected smart speaker.
- The music will now play through the speaker.
- Open the iPhone camera app and switch to video mode.
- You can record video while music plays through the speaker.
Method 3: Use Third-Party Camera Apps
- Start playing music on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
- Open Snapchat or Instagram Stories camera.
- Record a video – music will continue playing.
- Save the video to your camera roll.
Conclusion
In summary, while Spotify does not allow direct downloads, you can record music while listening to Spotify to enjoy offline or use in creative projects with the right tools. On desktop computers, programs like Audio Hijack, Ocenaudio, and Audacity provide recording capabilities—but for an optimized Spotify recording experience, I recommend Cinch Audio Recorder. Its auto-track splitting with ID3 metadata tagging saves you time and effort.
On mobile devices, recording video with background Spotify music takes some workarounds like using the native camera app in photo mode, casting to smart speakers, or third-party camera apps. Each method has trade-offs to consider. Recording just the Spotify audio on mobile is easiest done by connecting to the desktop app and capturing the stream there.
The ability to record from Spotify opens up many possibilities for listening offline, adding custom soundtracks to videos, making ringtones, and more. Just be mindful of copyright restrictions whenever recording or distributing Spotify content. With the right tools and techniques, you can unlock additional value from your Spotify library and account.
Let me know if you have any other questions! I hope this guide gave you some helpful tips for recording Spotify streams on both desktop and mobile setups.
