Spotify goes free for mobile devices

At a press conference in New York, CEO of Spotify Daniel Ek launched the streaming music service as a free of charge app on iOS and Android devices.Previously, the music library was only accessible for free via desktop or browser-based programmes with only premium paid members having access to the service on their devices.Ek said that the difference with their smartphone app compared to tablets or desktop is that users couldn’t pick the exact song they want to listen to and instead have to shift through their playlists and albums at random. The model behaves similarly to the shuffle option or radio services, but with ad play among the line up.“This is the new way the next generation will build their music library; it’s not about purchasing one song or other. It’s about adding it to a collection.”This announcement comes as Apple pushes its streaming music service through iTunes to mobile devices and Pandora’s internet radio commanding the biggest slice of the market with 72.4 million active listeners and over 200 million registered users.The free service will continue to receive advertisements, though no mention of how often or how much inventories the app has to sell.  Subscriptions will still be encouraged.Spotify is due to roll into 20 new markets.