Spotify Premium Duo sees company test new pricing model, could see Apple Music follow suit - 9to5Mac

Spotify is testing a new Premium deal which offers a cheaper subscription to couples. Dubbed Premium Duo, it sits between the existing solo and Family subscriptions, and is ideal for those without kids …

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First spotted by a Redditor in Poland, Spotify confirmed the new subscription model to The Verge.

It’s only available in five countries at present: Colombia, Chile, Denmark, Ireland and Poland. However, pricing in those markets suggests if it is rolled out to the USA, it will cost $12.49 per month. This is halfway between the $9.99 cost of a standard Premium subscription and the $14.99 price of a Family one.

Currently, child-free couples looking to save money have to opt for a Family subscription even though they have no use for the other four slots included.

Premium Duo also comes with a new feature.

Once you’re both signed up, you’ll get access to Duo Mix, a new auto-generated playlist similar to Spotify’s existing Discover Weekly or Daily Mix playlists. You get one playlist between you, and this is automatically created and shared when you set up the account. As you both listen to music, the plan updates with music it thinks you’ll both enjoy. There are also “Chill” and “Upbeat” options for the playlist on the mobile app to switch between songs of different tempos.

If you’d rather listen to playlists you’ve created yourself, then the plan also includes a Shared Playlists feature. This allows you to share all of your playlists with your Duo partner with one click.

If Premium Duo rolls out worldwide, it will be interesting to see whether Apple Music matches the deal. So far, Apple has mirrored all of Spotify’s main pricing tiers:

Solo: $9.99
Family: $14.99
Student: $4.99

Apple also offers a discounted annual option of $99/year for solo accounts, something Spotify has offered in the past as a time-limited promo. Additionally, Spotify has a deal where new subscribers can get a basic Hulu subscription free of charge if they sign up before June.

Spotify’s latest move should help its average revenue per user, a metric it is likely targeting with its move into podcasting.