Sometimes, nasty rumors are a good thing. Over the past few days, there has been some speculation online that Spotify would add ads to Premium subscribers ahead of its Hi-Fi tier launch. In a post on X, the company denied this rumor by saying “Premium music listening” would “remain ad-free.”
Here’s what Spotify wrote: “There is a rumor circulating that Spotify is putting ads into premium music listening. This rumor is false. Premium music listening is and will remain ad-free.”
Users were quick to point out that even if they are Spotify Premium subscribers, they still listen to podcast ads and they have some limitations, such as a single audiobook per month. That said, some of these complaints might disappear once Spotify Music Pro is released. The Hi-Fi tier was leaked in February after years of speculation and promises.
According to Bloomberg, Spotify plans to charge an extra $5.99 on top of the Premium subscription to unlock new perks for its customers. The publication says users will have a few key perks besides higher-quality audio: Remixing tools and access to concert tickets.
While some plans might change, Bloomberg says that prices will vary by country, as less-developed markets won’t have a price hike that expressive.
The Spotify Music Pro tier will let users mix songs from different artists together. Artificial Intelligence will be key for extra perks. Still, the most interesting feature of Music Pro will be offering fans access to presales or better seats.
If Spotify is able to do that, it could be the streaming service’s greatest feature. After all, imagine connecting fans with their favorite artists. Bloomberg says Spotify “held preliminary talks with major promoters and ticket sellers but has yet to finalize its plans.” That said, it depends on Live Nation and Ticketmaster to agree with this possible partnership.
Still, while Spotify isn’t ready to announce its Music Pro tier, at least Premium users can rest assured that Spotify isn’t following YouTube and so many other streaming trends to charge a little less but offer a few ads through the service’s experience.
We’ll let you know when Spotify announces the new Music Pro tier.
