Spotify free tier now available in Korea

Spotify has launched its ad-supported free tier in South Korea, giving users access to music and podcasts, while premium features remain reserved for paid subscribers.

Spotify [SPOTIFY]

Spotify's ad-supported free tier is now available in Korea, allowing users to access most of its music and podcasts for no fee.

Users will be able to access Spotify’s personalized playlists, music recommendations, editorial and user-generated playlists, along with the majority of the streamer's podcast library and its public domain audiobooks. Korean users can sign up for the free tier online.

Many of Spotify's flagship features, however, are limited to the Premium tier, such as premium audiobooks, playback controls that allow the streaming of songs in any order, offline listening and AI-curated playlists. Free users will also see advertisements in the Spotify app and hear them intermittently while listening.

The streaming platform's Individual plan costs 10,900 won ($8) per month, while the Basic plan, which does not include offline listening, is 7,900 won per month.

The introduction of Spotify’s free option in Korea comes three years after the platform first entered the market in 2021.

“The launch of Spotify Free in South Korea is an exciting moment, not only for consumers but for artists and the industry at large,” Gautam Talwar, Spotify's general manager of the Asia-Pacific region said in a news release. “We’re opening the door to every Korean listener to start discovering and connecting with millions of songs and podcasts with our technology and service — which means huge potential for new audiences, discoverability and, ultimately, more revenue for artists.”

Talwar also mentioned that Korean artists on Spotify have surpassed 5.8 billion streams, a 70 percent increase from 2021.

Spotify is currently available in more than 180 countries worldwide with more than 626 million users, including 246 million subscribers.

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]