Spotify users may need to pay to hear some big-name albums in the future. The traditionally free music streaming service says it may allow only paid subscribers to hear albums by certain artists.
The concept appears after numerous artists, such as Jay-Z and Bjork, pulled their albums off of Spotify earlier this year. Additionally, Adele refused access to her chart-topping new album 25 after Spotify would not allow only paid subscribers to hear it.
Most recently, Spotify agreed to let Coldplay put out their new record “A Head Full of Dreams” on the paid subscription service for several weeks. Instead, the album will appear on both the free and paid service starting this Friday, a week after the album’s official release.
Whether these artists object to the free streaming of their work from a monetary or moral standpoint, a recent study claimed that it may not matter. Even so, Spotify may be forced to make a change if more high-profile artists end up withholding their music from them.
Users can expect any changes to be part of multi-step process. The Wall Street Journal reported that Spotify wants to “investigate how such a ‘windowed’ approach might affect usage and subscription sign-ups” before an official policy change takes place.
With free streaming being utilized by music fans worldwide, these new developments may have an impact on not only Spotify, but other popular platforms. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on for updates as a new year of album releases is set to begin.
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