Spotify simply made a uncommon assertion responding to an explosive new rumor

It isn’t typically {that a} main tech firm responds to rumors circulating on-line, however it seems this specific rumor about Spotify was getting underneath the music streaming big’s pores and skin.

Spotify not too long ago took to social media to debunk a rumor suggesting that Spotify Premium, its paid subscription service, will quickly begin together with unskippable advertisements. The corporate has categorically denied this rumor as “false,” asserting that “Premium music listening is and can stay ad-free.”

One of many largest promoting factors of Spotify Premium, which prices $12 a month, is its ad-free listening experience. If the corporate had been to instantly change course, it might doubtless fire up fairly an issue. You could be questioning what prompted Spotify to make a public assertion about this? Effectively, all of it needed to do with a latest bug.

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A glitch triggered advertisements on Premium for some customers

It took Spotify a month to repair the difficulty

Initially, rumors about Spotify instantly introducing advertisements into Premium had been sparked by a bug customers started experiencing in February. This bug triggered Premium members to come across advertisements in sure circumstances, regardless of paying for ad-free listening. Many customers took to the Spotify Community forum to voice their complaints in regards to the subject.

Pocket-lint reported on this case in February, highlighting one person who wrote on the Spotify Neighborhood boards: “I get advertisements on Spotify with premium in between podcast episodes. It is occurred on my Samsung S22 and Pixel 7. If I skip it it simply serves one other, I do not pay $250 a yr to take heed to advertisements.”

After a month of customers encountering points and 94 pages of discussion board posts later, Spotify lastly confirmed on March 6 that the issue was resolved and thanked customers for his or her endurance through the investigation of the bug. Whereas this subject didn’t have an effect on each Spotify person, it was widespread sufficient for conspiracy theories to emerge, suggesting that this bug was really a take a look at for future advertisements on Spotify Premium.

Posts about the potential of Spotify Premium incorporating advertisements started circulating on X and TikTok, gaining traction. That is doubtless the explanation why Spotify firmly denied any rumors about Premium getting advertisements. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless rumors that Spotify will lastly launch its costlier Hi-Fi Premium tier soon, which the streaming big hasn’t commented on or denied.

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Spotify might be including a Music Professional tier

Greater high quality audio, however at a better price

Pocket-lint / Spotify

Whereas Spotify’s present Premium music tier will doubtless stay unchanged for a while, a higher-priced Hello-Fi choice might nonetheless be on the horizon for the music streaming big. In 2021, the corporate introduced Spotify Hi-Fi, an improve to its Premium music listening service, however 4 years later, it has but to materialize.

In February, Bloomberg reported {that a} supply claimed the corporate was creating a brand new Premium tier referred to as “Music Professional,” which might supply customers extra advantages similar to early entry to live performance tickets and an AI remix function that permits subscribers to “combine collectively songs from completely different artists.”

The standout function of Music Professional could lastly be Spotify Hello-Fi, that means subscribers might acquire entry to higher-quality audio because of lossless audio assist, enabling them to take heed to songs at CD-quality, with a better bitrate of 1411kbps (16 bit/44.1 kHz). Music Professional might price a further $6 a month on high of Spotify Premium, bringing the overall to $18 a month.

Spotify Music Professional might launch “later this yr.” Whereas Spotify denied rumors of Premium incorporating advertisements, its costlier Premium add-on might be arriving quickly.

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