After reports surfaced yesterday that Spotify would soon be pulling the plug on unlimited music streaming for millions of free users (whose six-month trial will soon be ending), we reached out to the UK-based company for some answers.
Will Spotify follow through on unseating customers who have become accustomed to listening to as much free music as they want, whenever they want? And would the new arrangement really cap free listening at 10 hours a month (with a five-play limit per song, no less) as has been reported?
In a statement to Complex, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that there will indeed be changes coming to those users who signed up for the free, ad-supported service six months ago (it launched in the U.S. on July 14 last year), but stopped short of copping to the rumored 10-hour limit.
"After a Spotify user has enjoyed free unlimited listening for six months, some changes to the free service will come into effect. We will have more information on these changes in due course," the spokesperson said.
Through its offer of free and unlimited streaming from a music library that includes over 15 million songs, Spotify has expanded its userbase to over 10 million since its American launch last summer. By curbing access to the free version, the company would— in theory— push users to sign up for one of its paid offerings.
Spotify Premium ($4.99 per month) allows unlimited, ad-free streaming, while Spotify Unlimited ($9.99 per month) also throws in the mobile app and offline service.
