If you pay $10 a month for Spotify premium, one of the major reasons you do that is to avoid ads. But Spotify’s new in-app ads, which act more like suggestions for you to tweet out an ad on Spotify’s behalf, are being served to all users – premium subscribers included.
The new pop-up ads are appearing on both desktop and mobile, and are called “Tweet the Beat’. The ads focuses on Rihanna and her new single “Bitch Better Have My Money”. The ads prompt users to tweet a thank you to Rihanna for the new single.
No I will not tweet the beat. I pay for premium. I shouldn't have to put up with these advertisements. @Spotify pic.twitter.com/pYy2alr6I6
— Joseph Ruane (@JosephRuane) April 11, 2015
Here’s the auto-generated tweet you’ll send out if you choose to “tweet the beat”:
Thanks @Rihanna for the new single!! Turn it up and you'll love it in like four five seconds! #BBHMM http://t.co/pm9cGBHFUa
— Anne Enero (@blackballoon09) April 13, 2015
Spotify confirmed the new feature to The Verge, saying,
“What you’re seeing is a new feature called Tweet the Beat which lets listeners express love and appreciation towards the artists they follow or listen to often, and has been designed as a great way for fans to get closer to their favourite artists.”
Right now it’s only Rihanna, but from Spotify’s statement it’s clear the streaming company wants to expand this to more artists.
Image via EJ Hersom, Wikimedia Commons