Music streaming service Spotify is rolling out improvements to its free music tier, including the new ability to listen to any song you want, and it follows the company giving premium users access to lossless streams.
The company outlined three new ways ad-supported users can now access the specific song they want to listen to without the hassle: Pick & Play to choose any song from the interface, including your own library; Search & Play to use the app’s search feature; and Share & Play to listen to a Spotify song link shared by friends or artists.
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Free users can also listen to playlists or create their own and design custom artwork, as well as listen to podcasts.
Spotify Free is CNET’s favorite free music streaming service, and the ability to listen to any song you want gives it an immediate advantage over services like Pandora, which only let you shuffle.
As expected, there are still limitations to the free account — for example, you can only listen to one song at a time before the app starts, which means you won’t be able to listen to entire albums. Additionally, you’re still supposedly limited to six streams per hour, and the quality rate tops out at 160kbps.
Conversely, premium users ($12 per month) can now listen to lossless music—in up to 24-bit/44kHz quality—and have access to features like AI DJ, audiobooks, and a new messaging feature.
