Spotify experimenting with new $0.99 ad-supported streaming tier

A smartphone displaying a music streaming app with the playlist "Happy Hits!" is placed on a laptop keyboard. White wireless earbuds lie on the phone. The background glows with purple and blue lights, showcasing Spotify's new ad-supported streaming tier.

Spotify looks set to introduce a new subscription tier to its music streaming service.

The European streaming giant differs from Apple Music in that it’s always offered a free, ad-supported version of its software, but it’s limited in functionality and doesn’t allow users to choose their own songs. Instead, they have to listen to playlists and can’t skip – plus, they have to listen to ads between songs that last up to 30 seconds.

Now, the company is experimenting with a new service called Spotify Plus, where users can pay $0.99 per month and pick the songs they want to listen to, albeit with adverts. The new service is being trialled with a limited number of users and there’s no guarantee that the service will see an official rollout, but as the competition heats up in the streaming world, it’s perhaps a sign of the times that it’s a race to the bottom.

The company confirmed to The Verge that it would “routinely conduct tests to inform our decisions.”

Earlier in the year, the company announced its plans to launch a premium version of its paid subscription tier with hi-fidelity sound, and though the service has been testing, it’s yet to be released. Apple has since added Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos and ‌‌Apple Music‌‌ Lossless for free, whereas Spotify is likely to charge users extra for this.

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