Popular music streaming service Spotify will no longer be offering new music purchases to users, after the company began blocking the download option in its desktop app and redirecting users to a newly created FAQ page detailing the fact, notes Pocket-lint.
Inside the Spotify desktop app, the company now blocks music downloads when a user attempts to purchase a track, displaying a message which reads: “We’re currently not offering new download purchases on Spotify. You can still use downloads you’ve already purchased.”
Users are directed to the Spotify website, to a page entitled ‘Changes to Download store’, which explains that users can redeem downloads they haven’t used, re-download tracks they have bought and redeem Spotify gift cards.
Downloads for offline listening and music streaming will continue to operate as normal.
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When we questioned the company about the move, the official line that Spotify gave us mirrored the wording on its website. This doesn’t necessarily suggest that the service will be gone forever, but given the messages it displays within the app, it is certainly not part of the company’s plans at the moment.
The removal of the download feature was first noticed by Twitter users six days ago in Sweden and in the UK, but did not gain any traction.
However, Spotify users have been flooding the company’s forums enquiring about its plans and asking it to reverse its decision.
Update: Spotify has provided a more detailed statement, reiterating that downloads could return in the future:
We recently updated Spotify to further simplify the service and pave the way for new features announced at the end of last year. In-app purchases aren’t part of this update but we’re not ruling out their return. Credits/gift cards already purchased are still redeemable.”
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