Spotify Offers Upgrades For Free Tier Users

Spotify’s mobile device free tier got new updates this week, allowing for greater discovery of new tunes and access to up to 15 playlists, including RapCaviar and New Music Friday. Users can also play songs on demand for the first time.

The mobile free tier will offer the same options found on the premium tier, including the same daily-mix playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar, as well as a simplified home screen. Among the differences in the free and premium tiers are absence of ads, offline access to music, and more control for users.

New licenses from labels allow Spotify to offer 40 hours of personal music recommendations per week on the free tier.

During a recent revealing of the new features in New York, Spotify’s Troy Carter noted the service creates partnerships with artists, which come with financial benefits, particularly for younger artists.

“When you’re looking at the old model with physical, you get a one-time payment,” Carter said. “With streaming, there’s a string of perpetual payments. Artists who are not locked into the CD model understand it better.”

Spotify’s execs also announced Data Saver, a toggle switch that optimizes the listening experience to use less mobile data when listening to music.