Spotify Adds Free Pandora-like Radio With Unlimited Track Skips
Just days after adding Apps, Spotify has given it's Radio feature a major makeover that takes aim at Pandora. In fact, with unlimited skips, Spotify one-ups Pandora who limits track skips on all accounts.** Spotify Radio will be available to free users and subscribers. New features include:
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- Unlimited Stations – Choose a track, artist or genre and Spotify instantly creates a station of similar music. There is no limit to the number of stations users can create.
- Unlimited Skips – This feature has not been available to Pandora free users.
- All-new intelligent recommendation engine – Spotify offered no details regarding the technology powering their new recommendation engine. Is it The Echo Nest? Proprietary?
- Unlimited access to 15 million tracks.
- Available to all – Spotify Radio will be available to both free users and subscribers.
Spotify Radio will be rolled out over the next few days along with Apps. Spotify has 10 million active users and 2.5 million paying subscribers across 12 countries.
**Pandora Skip Limits:
"Free Pandora accounts permit 6 skips per hour per station, for up to 12 total skips per day across all stations. The daily skip limit helps us prevent having to pay royalties on songs that are not being heard.""A skip is considered to be a skipped song, a Thumbs-down rating, or choosing "I'm tired of this track" in the menu of the music player."
"Licensing is one of the most expensive aspects of providing the service, and we must pay the full royalties for a song, even if it only plays for a few seconds."
"Upgrading to Pandora One will remove the daily skip limit (although the 6 skips per hour per station limit will remain in place). "
