Spotify caps free music streaming at just 10 hours

by Steven Mostyn - Apr 15 2011, 09:45

Free music provider Spotify became a little less alluring to potential listeners this week after it moved to slash the amount of ad-supported content users can access on a month-by-month basis.

Ahead of the reduction, Spotify’s European audience, which equates to some 6.7 million people, were able to enjoy 20 hours of streamed music for free. That ceiling has now been brought down to just 10 hours.

The online service’s tighter content controls, which are due to take effect from May 1, will also prevent listeners from streaming individual song tracks more than five times.

In March of this year, Spotify announced that more than a million listeners had signed up to its premium ad-free subscription service, which provides users with complete and unrestricted access for 9.99 GBP per month.

Although fans have suggested the 10-hour streaming cap is merely a way of pushing users towards paid access, Spotify has been quick to insist that, while it is looking to grow its (currently unsustainable) business, “[the] chief priority is to keep the service free.”

To help maintain the site’s appeal while integrating the aforementioned changes, Spotify has said new users of the service will receive six months of access at the 20-hour limit before having to adhere to the 10-hour revamp.

The alterations and increased slant towards paid access will likely please the major music labels, many of which Spotify is presently trying to strike licensing deals with ahead of a premium-only U.S. version of the streaming service.

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