Spotify starts free streaming option in South Korea

SPOTIFY’S free music and podcasts service option is now available in South Korea, the audio streaming platform said on Thursday (Oct 10), as it looks to widen its audience base.

The streaming giant’s freemium business model offers both a free, limited ad-supported service and an unlimited premium subscription service.

Spotify said that the move will enable them to better connect global audience with Korean music, which includes K-pop.

Users in South Korea can now sign-up for a free account to access Spotify’s playlists, podcasts, and daily mix among others and can further choose to upgrade to premium on-demand, ad-free music.

“Brands who advertise on Spotify’s free tier can deliver their message effectively as Spotify ads capture twice as much attention than social media platforms globally,” the company said.

Since the launch of Spotify in South Korea in 2021, the average monthly streams of artists from the country on the platform now surpass 5.8 billion streams, Spotify said. REUTERS