Streaming music service Spotify will soon be expanding its free tier of mobile radio operations outside the US. Bloomberg reports that according to three anonymous sources, Spotify will start bringing ad-supported radio on mobile devices to all of its current markets in April; our own sources have also confirmed the plans. Free mobile radio allows users to try Spotify without paying a $5 to $10 subscription fee, offering a taste of the service that the company hopes will lead them to upgrade. Spotify currently has about 5 million paid users and 20 million total users, most of whom listen either through mobile radio in the US or through the free tier of the desktop client; it operates in 17 countries. Spotify has recently been renegotiating its deals with record companies, pushing for lower payouts and more free music offerings, and we could soon be seeing the first fruits of that discussion.
Spotify to expand free mobile radio outside the US starting in April, Bloomberg reports
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
Greg Sandoval contributed to this report.
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