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Spotify Beats Competitors With 6 Months Of Unlimited Free Access, Will It Work?

image from www.google.com There was a bit of confusion this morning about what all of the free Spotify invites that Hypebot, Mashable, Chevrolet and others were offering actually delivered.  Are they Premium accounts that include unlimited mobile access or just early invites to the 20 hours monthly free plan that Spotify offers in Europe. The answer is neither. 

These special launch accounts offer unlimited streaming to the desktop without the 20 hour per month limit that is imposed in Europe. What's missing is mobile access – which can be purchased for $9.99 a month.

That's a huge – and potentially expensive – offering from Spotify.  Competitors like MOG, Rdio, Rhapsody and Napster offer free trials measured in days, not in months. But it's a strategy that might pay off for Spotify. I was given a free desktop press account two years ago; and found it so addicting that I paid to upgrade to Premium that minute that I figured out how to.  And once you've built playlists online, the thought of switching services is about as attractive as moving households in the physical realm.

What we don't know is what its costing Spotify or if some rightsholders granted them a discount rate for their launch. Somehow I doubt it….

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7 Comments

  1. Just to make it clear, 2 options of free access exist in Europe too.
    – OPEN option for everyone with the 20 hours limit, advertising and no mobile option for 6 months + 6 months with 10 hours limit, 5 plays per track, advertising and no mobile option.
    – FREE options (invite only) – (6 months UNLIMITED + 6 months same limitation as Open option)
    It’s that FREE option US gets with invite only.
    That’s said, we still keep a few invites to give away. Check details at : http://soundofusblog.tumblr.com/invitations
    or visit us at http://www.soundofus.com for new music and exclusive Spotify playlists.

  2. I think it is going to be great. Competition is great for the consumer. Netflix and apple TV are next. Being able to listen to music all the time will be great…

  3. I need more than 14 million tracks, Spotify. Until then, I will continue to use Youtube for FREE.

  4. With such a huge success and paid accounts in Europe, can somebody explain to me why Spotify still claims to be not making any profit ?

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