SPOTIFY ENDS SHUFFLE RESTRICTIONS ON FREE TIER, LETTING USERS PLAY ANY SONG ON DEMAND

Spotify is rolling out one of the most significant changes to its free tier in more than a decade: users will soon be able to play the songs they want, when they want, without being forced into shuffle-only listening. The update, which removes one of the last major barriers between Spotify’s free and paid tiers, is a bold shift that could reshape the music streaming market—and push rivals to reconsider their own free offerings.

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FROM SHUFFLE TO CHOICE

Since Spotify's early years, the free tier has come with limits designed to push listeners toward Premium subscriptions. Chief among them: on-demand song selection was restricted.

Free users could only shuffle albums, playlists, or artists, with unlimited on-demand access reserved for Premium subscribers.

That restriction is now being lifted. Free users will gain full control over playback, able to select any track in Spotify's 100-million-song catalog without shuffle. Ads will still play between songs, and offline downloads remain Premium-only, but the core act of choosing songs—long seen as a paid privilege—will now be available to everyone.

"Choice has always been central to Spotify's mission," a company spokesperson said. "We believe it's time to make on-demand listening available to all, while still offering Premium subscribers enhanced features like downloads, higher audio quality, and ad-free playback."

WHY SPOTIFY IS DOING THIS NOW

The move reflects both opportunity and pressure. Spotify remains the world's largest music streaming platform, with more than 600 million users, including around 240 million paying subscribers. But growth in Premium sign-ups has slowed, while free-tier usage continues to expand in emerging markets like India, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.