Spotify has plans to alter its free subscription tier in an effort to move it more in-line with its paid service, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
The publication claims that the planned updates will make the platform easier to use, especially on mobile devices. If there is truth to this rumour, mobile users on Spotify’s free tier will be able to access playlists more quickly and also have additional control over what specific track or playlist they’re listening to.
Spotify’s free tier currently prevents mobile users from selecting specific tracks in a playlist, forcing you to listen to whatever is automatically playing in shuffle m9ode. Spotify is rumoured to confirm changes to its free tier in the coming weeks.
Given that the music streaming platform went public on April 3rd, it makes sense that changes could be in store for the platform. Spotify is available in 61 countries and has amassed 159 million users, including ad-supported free listeners. The service also has 70 million paying subscribers as of January 2018.
Spotify predicts that it could hit as many as 96 million paying subscribers by the end of this year. In comparison, Apple recently confirmed that Apple Music now has approximately 40 million subscribers. Apple’s music streaming service does not offer a free tier.
While giving free tier users more control over the songs they’re listening to is a positive move for those not paying for Spotify, it could also lead to some users cancelling paid subscriptions to the platform. That said, making it easier to use the free version of Spotify also has the potential help grow the platform’s user base, which is more important than ever given the music streaming service is a publicly traded company.
Further, rumours have been swirling for a number of weeks that Spotify could be preparing to release its own smart home speaker. The music industry has also recently been critical of the music streaming service lately, with record label executives and artists lobbying Spotify to limit the content available to customers not subscribing to the platform’s premium tier.
Spotify’s premium subscription is free for the first 30-days and then is priced at $9.99 a month. The platform’s app is available on desktop, Android and iOS.
Source: Bloomberg
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