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Spotify places a 10 hour per month limit on music streaming
MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE Spotify has announced that it will be imposing tighter limits on the use of its free service.
Spotify offers access to its music library through an ad-supported free service alongside paid subscriptions, but has announced plans to introduce limits on the number of times tracks can be played and the total listening time of free accounts. Spotify says that the changes will mainly affect "heavier Spotify Free and Open users", as it claims most users use the service to discover music. The firm added that its paid subscription services will be left untouched.
The changes to Spotify's free service will come into affect six months after account creation. Those who signed up before 1 November 2010 will be able to play each track a maximum of five times for six months. Users who signed up after 1 November 2010 will see the changes implemented six months after their sign-up date.
The biggest change to Spotify's free accounts is a 10 hour per month listening limit that will be imposed on all free accounts six months after they are created. Spotify says that 10 hours is good for 200 tracks or 20 albums.
Spotify said it had to impose these limits but said that "it's vital that we continue offering an on-demand free service to you". It added, "Above all, this means we can continue making Spotify available to all in the long-term."
The announcement has polarised user opinion with many users leaving comments saying they will stop using the service. It is surprising that this announcement comes as Spotify gears up for its US launch, which should deliver big advertising revenue.
Spotify must be betting that the drop in advertising revenue from free users listening for only 10 hours a month will be offset by an increase in subscriptions. If not it could become the Napster of music streaming. µ
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I just hit the 10 hour limit for the streaming of content. So I think what the hell, lets just listen to one of my own mp3 albums it's imported.
Only to be told that I have to buy a subscription to listen to my own bloody music. I am sending them an email about this and deleting the application from my computer. I wont be blackmailed into paying for a service to play my own music in their shitty application. Hello iTunes/Media Player...
@Steve - If there was an option to pay £10 a month to watch freeview without adverts I would certainly be happy to pay it. All adverts are a pain in the ass - TV, Radio and Spotify.
@ Peter C - I think you've got your info wrong. Spotify premium users do not see, hear or experience any adverts. Its only the freebies that get them. £10 is nothing! Sign up today and those nasty ads will disappear...
Spotify is a great service. If people dont wanna pay then they should have a 10 hour limit but I do think the 5 plays thing is a little tight. However, it seems that these limits are only coming in after 6 months? (maybe that's incorrect).
This issue I have is that its a great service. I've enjoyed it for free for some time.
Now with the changes it may be worth my while upgrading to the £5 a month option. I have been thinking about it for a while.
However.......
Will it be the case as I take up a subscription, the number of free folks and other annoyed users leave in droves and the service shuts down 6 months later.
Is it worth the bother?
Ok, fair enough. If its a good service then pay for it, in most cases I would agree. But what about freeview tv? Thats great. but if I was told that I could only watch 20 hours a month or pay for it then how many people in the uk would pay up and not complain?
Oh, I dont count the License fee as paying, that revenue only goes to the BBC, not ITV, Ch4, Ch and the other freeview channels.
Why should you have to pay for a service that is making its money off of you by showing you adverts.
apparently up to now it was 40 minutes.
Well, I suppose the other answer is to have Spotify be not the only way that you listen to music. If music is what you like to listen to. Radio is still free, and you can have Spotify do what it does when that's what you want.
Wow spotify, hadn't heard that name in a long time.
I moved to we7 long ago, less frequent and less annoying adverts, use it enough and you get rewarded with advert free days. The ui is better and so is the content and no time restrictions on free users.
we7 also works online with flash enabled phones / tablets
IF you listen to MORE THAN 20 albums per month, absolutely free of charge, then surely you're getting enough value out of that to chuck them a few quid per month to pay for it?!
I don't understand people that feel it's their "right" to free music and media. Yes, I download torrents, but I don't think it's my "right" to do so. If it was taken away from me I'd just say "It was good while it lasted... Spose I should start paying for it now"
Amazes me people don't think the same
why don't you guys just get a paid subscription?
I mean come on! what is wrong with paying for something which has of value to you?
you don't really expect everything for nothing , forever do you? what reality do you people live in?
Lovely. Another great system gets turned into a mediocre one.
Oh well, guess I need more than one spotify account now then. :-)
...and will that include the time taken listening to the advertisements? If so, then we're really talking around 18 albums (and 180 adverts).