Everything you love about the free version of Spotify might be going away soon

Confession: I’m a Spotify mooch. I stream non-stop on my computer and put that baby on shuffle when I’m on the go. Music streaming services have been in the spotlight a lot lately, and Spotify is starting to feel the heat. Is my free music on the outs?

First, there was Tidal, the new music streaming service backed by, seemingly, the entire top of today’s music charts. Then there was the whole Taylor Swift/Apple Music open letter thing. Now, it appears Spotify is rethinking their streaming model. So, what are they going to change?

A free version of Spotify will likely still be available, but its features will probably be much more limited. You might be restricted to a certain amount of hours, or have to wait to stream new album releases. Or, according to Fortune, you might only be able to hear one or two songs from an album as a non-paying customer. Basically, whatever it takes to make you consider subscribing to Spotify Premium, it’ll probably happen.

Currently, only one quarter of Spotify’s users pay for the premium service, Time Magazine reports. The push for users to subscribe to Spotify’s $10/month service will put the company in direct competition with Apple Music, which also charges a $10/month membership fee. It will also likely please artists, who are constantly speaking out on the topic.

“I found it really ironic that the multi-billion dollar company reacted to criticism with humility, and the start-up with no cash flow reacted to criticism like a corporate machine,” Swift notably said in Vanity Fair earlier this summer.

Just please, don’t take the free version of Pandora away from me. Katy Perry radio is my lifeblood.

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Related:

 Taylor Swift takes on Apple Music and wins

(Image via Spotify)