A new version of Spotify Free will enable users to listen to tracks on demand but things are not quite that simple, of course. 

Spotify says that its free users will soon have complete access to some of Spotify’s curated playlists such as Release Radar and Discover Weekly – 15 in total. That works out at about 750 tracks or 40 hours of free music.

That's pretty good if all you need are a few tunes for the commute. Naturally, it remains ad-supported. 

Free users will still only be able to shuffle other content, but they have unrestricted access to the core playlists so they can listen to tracks on demand just as Premium listeners can.

As part of a wider redesign of the app, Spotify says it will also implement a data-saving mode to save up to 75% less data. Naturally, the sound quality will be degraded to make the saving work. 

The "New Spotify" will be more accessible, more personal, and more useable," said the company.

Spotify had 157 million active users as of the end of 2017 including 71 million subscribers compared to around 36 million subscribers on Apple Music. Check out our guide to the best music services.

It says it has now paid 8 billion Euros to record companies and other rights holders, while there are 35 million songs on the platform. 

It also emerged yesterday that Spotify is also trialling a filter for explicit lyrics - again responding to competition from other services. “About time”, shout a million parents.

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