Spotify let fly in early June with what could be a significant blow in the streaming music wars by launching a free web radio service for mobile listeners (U.S. support only). Initially available for Apple devices (Android
advertising but marks a major departure from the paid monthly plan Spotify users previously had to possess for mobile listening. In addition to the inclusion of ads, the free offering limits track skips to six per hour. (For $9.99 per month, Spotify Premium subscribers get unlimited skips, can access auto-generated playlists based on songs they’ve heard via the radio service, and more.) Users can select from Recommended stations, Genre stations, or create stations by selecting an artist. This free Web radio feature puts Spotify in direct competition with Slacker, Pandora, and other web radio services
with free mobile listening. In its favor, Spotify reportedly has 16 million tracks in its library vs. Pandora’s 1 million.
