In September, Spotify introduced its newest features, which no longer require shuffle-only playback on its free/ad-supported tiers. Free users now have greater flexibility in the Spotify app, but what is the difference between free and premium?
Spotify’s free tier still has the dreaded ads, but now free users can pick and choose what songs they want to listen to. Previously, mobile users had to start playlists or albums in shuffle mode, often not even getting to hear the song they initially wanted.
In addition to this feature, users can also search for a particular song they want and play it on demand, another premium perk that free Spotify did not previously offer.
Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify’s VP of Markets and Subscriptions, said in an interview with MusicBusinessWorldwide that this change stemmed from younger generations of users.
“We continuously keep our finger on the pulse of where young users are going, and we’ve seen user behavior both on social media and other video streaming platforms, where consumers are expecting the ability to choose what they consume,” said Gyllenhammar.
Unfortunately for free users, there is still no way to get rid of ads. There is also a limit to the “on-demand time” these users receive, and unlimited skips are still unavailable. However, the updates do make the free tier more usable and less frustrating.
Overall, this is a notable shift in Spotify’s application. By making its free service less restrictive, many users who didn’t want to pay but hated being forced into shuffle mode or unable to play specific songs can now feel like they’ve scored a big win.
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