Spotify said to kill its free service due to industry pressure

Spotify’s controversial free streaming service may be in its final days, according to Digital Music News. A new report citing several anonymous sources claims the Swedish company is under pressure from industry giants Universal and Sony to kill its ad-supported streaming option once and for all.

Spotify has already refuted the rumors, claiming its free tier isn’t going anywhere. “It’s totally false,” the company told The Next Web. “The model is working.”

According to anonymous sources, however, the company may soon simply offer a three-month trial instead of its ad-supported service. After that, you’d be forced to pay for your music or get cut off entirely. One source adds that anyone with a free account at the time of the switch would get a 6-month grace period before needing to upgrade.

The report suggests that discussions between Spotify and the record industry are ongoing, though it sounds like the music streaming giant doesn’t have much choice in the matter. “In all reality, remember that [Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug] Morris and [UMG CEO Lucian] Grainge aren’t really asking as much as they’re telling,” an insider told Digital Music News.

The article doesn’t mention Apple’s upcoming music streaming service, but it’s possible the company could be involved. Recent reports suggest Cupertino has asked record labels to help kill off free options like the one offered by Spotify. Apple may even be under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for anti-competitive behavior.

The re-imagined Apple Music isn’t expected to offer a free tier, so it makes sense that the company would want to clear the playing field ahead of time. Still, free music streaming isn’t exactly popular with the record industry either, and it’s possible Sony and Universal are acting on their own initiative.

Spotify is set to make a big announcement later this month on May 20. The company is expected to focus on a rumored new video service, though we may also hear about plans to wean listeners off its free music option.

Source: Digital Music News, TNW

from TechnoBuffalo http://ift.tt/1Po8eOD

تعليقات

المشاركات الشائعة من هذه المدونة

Exec behind “Next Big Thing” campaign has departed Samsung

Samsung Mobile CMO, Todd Pendleton, has reportedly departed the company, according to CNET . Pendleton is credited with creating Samsung’s famous “Next Big Thing” campaign, which took aim at the company’s rivals while highlighting the benefits of its own mobile lineup. The ads were smart, terse, and ultimately helped raise the awareness of Samsung’s brand as a major smartphone maker here in the U.S. It’s unclear why Pendleton left, but it’s being reported that Samsung executives became dissatisfied with the campaign’s recent success, even going so far as auditing the mobile division’s Dallas headquarters. It seems you can only use the Next Big Thing tagline so many times; the commercials have taken a decidedly different turn over the past few months, focusing on design, functionality and features rather than bashing Samsung competitors. The timing, I suppose, seems appropriate given that Samsung has just unveiled two new flagships, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Samsung is clearly

قراءة المزيد

You can now control PowerPoint for iPhone with your Apple Watch

Want to master the CMO role? Join us for GrowthBeat Summit on June 1-2 in Boston , where we'll discuss how to merge creativity with technology to drive growth. Space is limited and we're limiting attendance to CMOs and top marketing execs. Request your personal invitation here ! Microsoft today updated its PowerPoint for iOS app with a rather bizarre update: remote Apple Watch support. You can download the new version now directly from Apple’s App Store . We say this addition is “bizarre” because, well, why would anyone want to control PowerPoint on their iPhone from their Apple Watch? This PowerPoint app also works on the iPad , and we would argue it makes more sense to control a presentation on your tablet from your wrist than one that is on your smartphone. Here is the changelog so you can try to make sense of it yourself: PowerPoint Remote for Apple Watch: control your slide show on iPhone with a beautifully simple app. Start your slide show and easily navigate to

قراءة المزيد

Pirate Bay co-founder won’t be playing NES in his jail cell

Fredrik Neij, a co-founder of The Pirate Bay, the massive torrent site, was arrested last year for copyright infringement. That’s okay, though. He knew how he was going to spend his free time. Really, it’s not too different from what most gamers might as for: Nintendo. All day, every day. Unfortunately for Neij, prison authorities had some issues with the request. It’s not that video games are against the rules in Swedish prisons, though. That’s actually not too uncommon. To get a piece of hardware into the prison, though, it needs to be opened up so that it can be checked for contraband items (let’s just assume Nintendo-themed shivs) hidden inside. With a DVD player or something like that, it’s not too tough, but the NES uses special security screws to prevent people from tampering with the system or getting at the hardware for piracy purposes. For this reason, the Swedish authorities chose to deny his request. Their explanation is that getting into the console without destroying i

قراءة المزيد

android one

بحث هذه المدونة الإلكترونية