Spotify's Free Streaming Music Service May Be Coming to iPhone and iPad

Streaming music service Spotify is reportedly in negotiations to make its free subscription tier available on smartphones and tablets, according to a report from The Verge.

Spotify, the popular music subscription service, is due to meet in the coming weeks with its major counterparts in the record industry to renew their licensing agreements. The Verge has learned that managers at Spotify are expected to ask for substantial price breaks from the music labels as well as the rights to extend its free pricing tier to mobile devices.

Currently, Spotify Free is only available on computers, with a $9.99 Premium subscription required to access the service on an iPhone or iPad.

Spotify's argument will likely be that it needs this agreement in order to achieve profitability. Despite 5 million paying subscribers and a further 15 million free ones generating ad revenues, Spotify is believed to be operating at break-even.

spotify_iphone_screenshots
Streaming music services like Spotify and Pandora have had an uneasy relationship with music labels and artists, with the latter complaining about the extremely low level of payments made for the right to stream music. Several major artists, including Coldplay and Adele, refuse to allow their music to be streamed by Spotify for this reason.

Apple is rumored to be planning to launch its own streaming music service to complement iTunes, but industry sources claim that the company has so far made little headway in agreeing terms with record labels.

Top Rated Comments

cdsfire Avatar
138 months ago
To clear things up

Spotify offers a free radio version on the iPhone. It's not the on-demand version like on the desktop but it's similar to Pandora or Slacker.

Spotify hasn't required a Facebook login since mid 2012, stop freaking out.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
leon44 Avatar
138 months ago
If they still require a Facebook login, I'm not interested.
I'm sure they'll be gutted to not have you and the other 3 people on Earth who think are too cool for Facebook
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
138 months ago
Don't care. The sound quality from all of these streaming services (Pandora, Slacker, Songza, Spotify) pale in comparison to streaming from iTunes Match. Test it yourself. iTunes match sounds A LOT better!

except not? Spotify is in 320kbps, iTunes Match 256 kbps
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John.B Avatar
138 months ago
If they still require a Facebook login, I'm not interested.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bryan55 Avatar
138 months ago
Listening to Coldplay on Spotify right now.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
138 months ago
Spotify offers a free radio version on the iPhone. It's not the on-demand version like on the desktop but it's similar to Pandora or Slacker.

Spotify hasn't required a Facebook login since mid 2012, stop freaking out.

You are correct.

https://www.spotify.com/us/signup/open/
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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