Spotify mulls a ‘paid only’ option for new music releases

LOS ANGELES — Music-streaming giant Spotify is considering allowing musicians to reserve new releases for paying subscribers, although it balked at doing so for Coldplay’s latest album, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Such a move might push some users of Spotify’s free version to upgrade to a $10-a-month subscription. Artists and record labels have pressured Spotify to pay more for the music it streams.

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A “paid-only” window might also increase album sales if it led more music fans to purchase music instead of listening for free via cumbersome options involving ads or the use of computers instead of phones or tablets.

The person wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. Spotify’s deliberations were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

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