Spotify Makes U.S. Debut With Paid Plans and Invite-Only Free Service

Streaming music firm Spotify today announced the immediate launch of its beta phase offerings in the United States, debuting as an invitation-only free service paired with two different paid tiers: Unlimited at $4.99/month and Premium at $9.99/month.

spotify premium unlimited
The Spotify app for iPhone [App Store] is also now live in the U.S. App Store, and a subscription to the Premium service is required for mobile device access.

During our invite-only beta phase, we'll be offering three great services - from absolutely free to paid subscriptions. The services we're launching today are:

- Spotify Free - the unsurpassed free music service. With an invite, enjoy on-demand, buffer-free access to over 15 million songs on your computer and great social features. Manage your own music files through Spotify, and sync with your cellphone or iPod. Features occasional advertising.

- Spotify Unlimited - all the special features of our free service, but with uninterrupted, ad-free access to Spotify on your computer. All for only $4.99 a month.

- Spotify Premium - the top-of-the-range Spotify experience. Premium gives you access to all the music, all the time. Listen online or offline, on your computer, your cellphone and a whole heap of other devices. Enjoy enhanced sound quality and access to exclusive content, competitions and special offers. Premium costs just $9.99 a month. (That's the equivalent of a couple of fancy coffees.)

Spotify's free service is debuting in the U.S. with exclusive ad partners Coca-Cola/Sprite, Chevrolet, Motorola, Reebok and Sonos, who are said to be developing specific and innovative ad campaigns for the platform.


Spotify has seen a fair amount of success in Europe, but the service's much-anticipated U.S. launch has been delayed several times as the company sought to acquire approvals from the major record labels. Those pieces began falling into place over the past few weeks, enabling Spotify to finally bring its offerings to the United States.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Blames In-Store MagSafe Chargers for iPhone 17 Pro Display Model Scratches

Wednesday September 24, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
The marks on the iPhone 17 Pro models that people have noticed at Apple retail stores are caused by the chargers that Apple uses, Apple confirmed today. Apple told 9to5Mac that worn MagSafe charging stands in stores are causing marks on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple says that the marks are not scratches, and are instead material transfer from the stand to the phone. The...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Confirms iOS 26 Wallet Passport Feature is Coming in 2025

Tuesday September 23, 2025 1:06 pm PDT by
Digital ID, the iOS 26 feature that lets U.S. passport holders add their passports to the Wallet app, is coming later in 2025, Apple confirmed today. Apple updated the release timing wording of Digital ID on its iOS 26 features page. "Digital ID will be coming later this year with US passports only," it reads. Prior to today, the footnote for the feature said "Digital ID will be available ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro is Vulnerable to Scratching, But Not Where You Might Think

Tuesday September 23, 2025 2:18 pm PDT by
Early reports have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are more vulnerable to scratches and scuffs, primarily due to damage spotted at Apple Stores. Apple customers have discovered that the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models Apple has out for display at its retail locations have scratching in the area of the MagSafe charger. Those devices are handled by hundreds to thousands of...

Top Rated Comments

TWSS37 Avatar
185 months ago
I understand this look awesome from consumer perspective, but how is this really a sustainable business model?

Sorry but I don't see it getting too far in the USA.

Just because a paid music sevice that isn't offered by Apple doesn't mean it's destined for failure.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joe8232 Avatar
185 months ago
The US seem to have it very lucky, the prices are the same in $ as they are in £ for us in the UK. Unfair :(
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TWSS37 Avatar
185 months ago
Show me where i was talking about failure? I'm asking how this is a sustainable business model that's all. Quit smoking, pal.

How is a non sustainable business model anything OTHER than failure?

Example: If I take in less money than I bring in, I am "losing" money. "Lose" too much money, and my business will be forced to close. After closing, I realize since my business model was not sustainable, my business was a failure.

This isn't difficult.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
janjarfalk Avatar
185 months ago
Go nuts!

Here are a couple of invites for you.

dNPNX7HV5u4rXX8U
eWkmdUCVx6xMmudG
d64Tc5nGVtE7h5kg
ezu7H3y7E3dd9z3H
ea7RTPkgpFe6Gtdq
cuzHX3AyYZSpXUSR
aCdtdDZDSk2xJMZW
a4YCepc7NbAhRKzt
eNhLxbPwTgxGDXdg
aZqepzTmhfrCLcNM
frGqK7C7EJeP9sre
cc4wFtquHBg5RzKG
aFypgNJfPZzVFNyh
byNzws2qgLEkqGE5
eGLVKE35cTnrJd9Z
bBwC2rxyJKDDzBDY
brCkpXxwKg2kdAHb
aJZtEExhYgycw2Bw
erXNcce6pV4gZhVK
bRhuEkukYFfKXbfP
eyXsEfcV3zGGJJ6h
dr6yZ5P4wA2S25D3
fq2kLGk26aV4t77r
fgw35KuupwZcAr6V
d6ANU4dfwfkH7ph3
cDrcNNBT2xWe2AYb
c7tuTx9nNueMVRYN
dBZZ7TcZEwBpDXAt
d9VMXENbDdMNura9
dJsUNFrgbfTdB3T8
dF8NWdDwUw6d5wbN
e6SsBaZFXy4eH3cU
eYq5sfUhquRedU8B
aSz73mPDB2JTwz3S
cPd49L32VSPqFLXP
cRrPx8URqTRydwAM
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eroplos Avatar
185 months ago
While Grooveshark can't even get into the AppStore, you will most likely not see Spotify there. You will probably have to Jailbreak, just like for Grooveshark's mobile app.

It will be in the app store! It's in the Dutch app store! Plus the difference between Spotify and Grooveshark is that Spotify actually has deals with the record companies and Grooveshark doesn't! That's why Grooveshark isn't in the App Store, because of complaints of the record labels ;)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eroplos Avatar
185 months ago
Unlimited (desktop) $4.99, Premium (listen on your phone) $9,99

And with Premium you can listen offline (save music, which is pretty handy on your phone) and the music is in higher quality :)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)