Spotify cancels plans for free independent music uploads and distribution
The beta service will end this month...
Spotify have cancelled plans to become a distributor.
In September last year, Spotify announced a new Spotify For Artists beta service which allowed independent artists to upload their own music cost-free, without any need for a record label or third-party.
Today, the streaming giant announced via a blog post that the beta service would cease to operate later this month.
Speaking on the decision to close the Spotify For Artists platform, Spotify said: "Almost a year ago, we started to beta test a feature that lets independent artists upload their music directly to Spotify. Today, we notified participating artists about our decision to close the beta program, along with how we can help them migrate their music to other distributors over the next month."
"We’re working with our distribution partners to help make this transition as simple as possible for the artists who uploaded music through the beta. At the end of this month, we’ll stop accepting any new uploads through Spotify for Artists, and artists will need to move their already released content to another provider".
No reason or explanation has been given for the closure of Spotify's beta program.
Last month, Spotify announced they would reportedly be collecting refunds after overpayments were made to songwriters and publishers from the streaming service in 2018.
Spotify announced a net loss of $159 million dollars in the first quarter of 2019.
