It’s the old conundrum: how do you make people pay for something that they’re used to getting for free? Swedish music streaming site Spotify has been delighting its fans with fast, comprehensive access to tunes online for six months. Now, they’ve launched a subscription service. It’s cheap as chips – the "all-you-can-eat" package costs from 50p per day – but is that a few pennies that the British public are unwilling to spend? No, is MD Brown’s answer. "We know from subscription services that have been out there, subscription is still a model that has real legs," he told The Guardian. "It’s not just about giving you the same service with a pricepoint." And he’s got a few ideas to get users reaching into their pockets. "Spotify isn’t one of these companies that’s going to tell you ‘there’s 20 things we want to do’," he says, cagily. "But portability is an obvious one. If you can execute well on the iPhone, for example (Pandora on iPhone has seen several million installs), Spotify as a pay service might see a nice subset of that in the UK." It’s all very well to talk about the distant future – how many people might end up subscribing, but what about now? Of the million users currently bopping away to Spotify, how many are paid up members? "The majority are obviously going to be free at this stage," Brown admits. "We have a nice proportion – a decent proportion, but we can’t disclose numbers – of paid subscribers. That will get more interesting." Interesting is the word. Having seen Pandora, a similar music streaming site, go bust after legal wranglings over fees and royalties, and Napster, which was also touted as the evolution of music streaming – die a death, can Spotify really break the curse of free-to-paid for? RB will keep you informed. Related articles 7digital’s Ben Drury signs hot deal with Spotify Pirate Bay founders sentenced to jail Selling CDs with trips to Mexico and magic mushrooms Picture source
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.