Spotify is thinking of the possibility of allowing artists to reserve new releases for premium subscribers. This strategy may push some users of the free version to upgrade to a monthly subscription worth $10.
The music-streaming giant currently offers music to both premium and free users; something that is a big deciding factor for artists like "Bad Blood" singer Taylor Swift. In 2014, the 25-year old singer-songwriter pulled out her entire catalogue due to this policy.
In an interview with Time, Swift stated that music streaming services does not value her art noting that it can also hurt music sales. She added that people can still listen to her music if they get it from iTunes.
"I’m always up for trying something. And I tried it and I didn’t like the way it felt. I think there should be an inherent value placed on art,” Swift added.
With paid-only services, the strategy is seen as an effective way to increase album sales if the fans are going to purchase music. Offering new songs to free subscribers is also a way of patronizing piracy.
Spotify will investigate first on how the change will affect usage and subscription sign-ups, according to Arstechnica. They will observe its effect by implementing it with one artist at first. Who the artist will be is still up for discussion.
On the other hand, Spotify’s global head of communication and public policy Jonathan Prince confirmed that the company has been in talks with Coldplay but is still confident with the company’s current business model.
Spotify’s free service allow users to listen to an entire album via computers or smartphones with a few ads. This may be the primary reason why Adele decided to suspend her new album “25” from all streaming services.