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Spotify is set to launch a free model of the Spotify Mobile app, allowing you to access the music streaming app on phones, tablets and potentially AV devices, without a subscription.
Currently, Spotify Mobile is only available to Spotify Premium subscribers that pay £9.99 per month. On desktop and laptop there is a Free ad-supported option and an Unlimited option at £4.99. Now it seems the Free model could be going mobile.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Spotify has tied-up deals with three key record labels after finalising exactly what free users will be able to access on mobile.
A free Spotify Mobile option is likely to be more limited than existing plans, perhaps by the number of tracks users can listen to over a period of time.
As well as giving users a free option for accessing Spotify on phones and tablets, the move could also mean that Spotify on other devices, such as AV receivers, set-top boxes and wireless speakers, could be usable for free.
The Spotify app is on products including the Now TV Box, Denon AV receivers and Bang & Olufsen TVs.
Spotify has also recently announed Spotify Connect, which embeds the music streaming service inside compatible products, with your phone or tablet merely acting as a remote control rather than the source. Yamaha and Pioneer have confirmed Spotify Connect devices.
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by Joe Cox
Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).