u/Tough_Ad2227

I have used Spotify for around 10 years now, and for the last year or so have really felt like I should leave.

Most of the leaving Spotify conversation I've seen around leaving the platform is about it's algorithm, lack of organic music discovery, etc. I feel like I work pretty hard in finding new music, so I don't get too bothered by this as I usually just ignore whatever suggestions it gives.

My main concern is just the ethicality of using Spotify. I don't like that it doesn't pay artists anything at all, I don't like that it was airing ICE ads, I don't like that Ek is also an AI Warhead investor.

I think I'm just holding on for the sake of convenience. I am huge on the listening data stuff, I use Lastfm to track my Spotify account, and create all kinds of projects based on that data, I really don't want to lose that. I have playlists, downloads, everything set up meticulously in my library. I also like the collaborative aspect of Spotify, Jams, DMs, Blends, Playlist Collabs are all super useful for me.

Is anyone else in this position? Should I go elsewhere? If you switched how was it, and how did you smooth the process?

Hello, I am 22M living in the US, moving to Valencia in January 2027 with girlfriend 22F. We both recently graduated college, and are excited by what Spain has to offer. We are more drawn to the social climate of a place like Spain, rather than the US, and since Spain offers Remote Working residency/visas, it’s a great fit. We’d like to live a little cheaper than we would in Barcelona/Madrid, but we love living in the big city, so Valencia was a good option (plus the beach).

I’m mostly looking for thoughts, experiences, advice, about the immigration process, so here is more background on my situation:

I have been working for a local company for ~1 year, started as an intern, then part-time, and now full. Amazingly, they have offered to keep me hired as a remote contractor (1099) to accommodate for this move. I have no doubts of any kind that they will provide any and all letters confirming pay, remote capabilities, role, etc.
My gf is looking for work, and whether it is remote, something in Spain, or just living off of savings for the time being, the plan is to add her on as an additional family member to my residency application. My pay is sufficient to cover the minimum pay for +1 family member. We are not married, but we have 1.5 years together on a shared lease. It seems this will be enough, but has anyone had experience doing this with an unmarried partner? What documents did you need to provide?
We are planning to go the residency route instead of the visa, meaning we will arrive as tourists, and then submit for residency after arrival. With this being the case, we need to be well prepared to submit our residency application before we depart for Spain, so we can (hopefully) successfully submit our application the second we arrive. A major question still left is the logistics of ‘submitting the application’. Is it recommended to have a lawyer do all of this for us, or is it as simple as an online portal where we can upload documents?
- My mother is an immigration lawyer, and she questioned ‘arrive as a tourist and then apply once we’re there’, the reason being because to be there as a tourist you technically need confirmed return plans within the 90 days allotted. I’ve seen online that this is a non-issue, and simply arriving as a tourist is not something to stress about, can anyone attest to either of these?

With all of that background, the things on our list to do are:

FBI Background Check. We have not yet done this, but it seems pretty painless as long as we get it started earlier than later. Does anyone have any tips from experiences doing this?
Health Insurance. A question regarding this, I’ve seen information about paying into social security to be eligible for public health benefits. What is the relationship between that and Health Insurance? What is the best route for this? All I know is I need global coverage, which I intend to get a plan that includes that.
Basic Identification Documents. Passport/Birth Cert/Social Security/Driver’s License
Written confirmations from my employer.
I have a list that contains additional documents as well, but these seem to be at least a big chunk of the core ones.

A few Major things I’d love advice on:

Apostilles/Translations. The apostilles seem fairly easy to get, but the official sworn translations not so much. It is less an issue of availability and more of cost. I anticipate there being anywhere from 10-20 documents that we need sworn translations of, which easily add up to $500+. Is this just an inevitable part of the process? Are there options out there for affordable sworn translations?
When to get a lawyer. Right now, the plan is to do as much as I possibly can on my own, and be as knowledgeable about the process as I can before the first consultation with a lawyer. Money for a lawyer is not something that is abundant, so I’d like to not just hand it off, but more so utilize a few consultation sessions to finalize everything. For people who have done this, did you use a lawyer? And if so, how often? What were the main benefits?
- I’ve seen people talking about hiring a lawyer in Spain as they can be much more affordable, however I think we want to see one before we move so we don’t get to Spain with missing documents, do people agree with that?
Taxes. I’m not too worried about figuring out taxes at the moment, mostly because it’s intimidating and I’m procrastinating. Unfortunately, I am really behind the curve when it comes to taxes. I will do my own research on this eventually, but if anyone would care to give me the schpiel, I wouldn’t be upset. Especially if there are things that I should do to prepare for taxes before we move (again I will be a 1099 contractor)

We plan to do all of this in the first 1-2 months from a short term rental (AirBNB/Hotel (any ideas here would be great)), and then once we have our residency accepted and get our identification number, look for an apartment to move into. We also plan to travel quite a bit out of Valencia (weekend trips, longer stays) around Europe, hopefully spending 6-8 months in Valencia, and the rest of the year travelling, travel destination recs are welcomed!

Last thoughts:

My gf speaks a high level of conversational Spanish. Unfortunately, I am a true beginner, which I am dedicating to the great US of A. I am taking classes, and pouring a lot of time and money into learning Spanish as quickly and as well as possible. We are very irritated by the people (irl and on reddit), who seem to be quite okay with not integrating when they move. We plan to do everything we possibly can to be unproblematic Americans, and respect the local language, culture, identity, etc.
- I have no intention to learn Valencian before the move, as Spanish certainly needs to be my top priority. However, once I arrive, I undoubtedly want to become at least conversational in Valencian as I know the language is a crucial part of the daily culture/social life. Any tips on things to use to learn Valencian later on would be great.
Apart from all the bureaucratic necessities (which is most of it), our main focus is to integrate into the culture and social life as well as we can. What do we need to know/do beforehand to not come across as ignorant Americans (I don’t think we are), and to be well prepared for what to expect out of a daily life in Valencia?

Misc. Advice I would take:

Best neighborhoods for finding an apartment? We are not going to be over-the-top wealthy, so nothing too luxurious. We currently live in a very walkable, busy, community-driven neighborhood, and we love it. I think it’s a unique neighborhood in the US because it resembles what most European cities look like across the board, so I imagine that won’t be an issue for us when looking, but we don’t want to get into the suburbs or less happening spots.
Spanish Bank Account? My work has mentioned they would like to be able to pay me to an American bank account. I have also seen that having a Spanish bank account can help with getting approved for apartments. What’s the best route there?
Things to bring, especially things we might not think of? The current plan is to sell/store most of our stuff, especially furniture, larger items, etc. If there are things that people have wished they would have moved with, let me know!
- We don’t plan to ship anything overseas at the moment, we just are hoping to bring whatever will fit into all of our bags/suitcases.
- We’ll be returning to the US at least a couple times to visit within our first year, so we can always bring back things with us during those visits.
We have a cat (3M), and can’t decide what to do. Luckily, the alternative to bringing him is just having him move into my gf’s parents house, with whom he is very familiar, and he is also best friends with their cat, so it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but we obviously love our cat and want to bring him. We certainly won’t be bringing him right away in January, but are considering bringing him back with us to Spain after our first visit back to the US. Has anyone moved with their cat? How is Valencia for cats? We would be traveling, is it easy enough to find cat-sitters? Like I said, we love our cat and want to bring him with, but if the consensus is it would be better for him if we didn’t we won’t act selfishly.
- He’s never been on a plane, but he goes on car rides all the time and he loves them, however that might be because he just roams free, we don’t keep him in the carrier in there.
I have enjoyed soccer my whole life, but only within the last 1-2 years have I really started getting into it. I have adopted Aston Villa as my primary squad, but that’s pretty much the only team I have fandom for other than the local MLS team. I am SO excited to go to football games in Europe, and plan on adopting Valencia CF as my team. Is there any reason to cheer for Levante instead? Will I be judged, or welcomed, if I go to all the games, participate in festivities, while being a white American? I am familiar with ‘Valencismo’, and look forward to transferring my American sports passion to Spanish Football.
On the note of soccer, I’m no high-skilled player, but I did play a different sport at the collegiate level, am pretty in-shape, and go shoot 3-4 times a week for fun. I played soccer until high school so I’m not clueless, but still haven’t played organized in 8+ years. Are there leagues that I would feel like I fit in, both skill-wise and socially?

Anything and everything is appreciated, including any advice about things I didn’t even mention.

I will stay active in the comments to hopefully have some good conversation about this, thank you!

Edit: I apologize for the absurdly long post, please just respond to whatever you might know about :)

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