Sprint and Spotify tie-up could be in the cards

By David Nield April 12, 2014

sprint spotify tie cards — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Music-loving Sprint customers will be encouraged by reports that the wireless carrier is planning to strike an agreement with Spotify. The deal could include free trials, joint billing arrangements and discounts on premium plans, and sources suggest that the tie-up will be announced at the end of the month in New York City.

Whispers of a pact between the two companies come courtesy of Re/code, and is said to be similar to the deal shared by AT&T and Beats Music. If the reports are confirmed on April 29, Sprint customers will be able to add a Spotify subscription to their monthly bill and could get some money knocked off the premium $9.99-per-month rate at the same time. Both companies have declined to comment on the report.

One of the options being explored is a family plan which lets Sprint users share a Spotify subscription between them for a lower fee — the insider sources who spoke to Re/code said this would be integrated into the Framily plans that Sprint already operates. Any deal will require approval from the music labels working with Spotify, which could delay the agreement.

Bundled subscription packages run in partnership with wireless carriers and Internet providers have long been seen as a way for Spotify, Netflix and other services to gain traction in the mainstream market. Spotify has previously offered half-price rates for students and is said to be planning an IPO for this fall, while recent estimates suggest the company has nine million subscribers worldwide.

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Dave is a freelance journalist from Manchester in the north-west of England. He's been writing about technology since the…

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