If you’re a free Spotify user, prepare for your experience to get a lot more annoying: video ads are coming to the a la carte music streaming service.
According to AdAge, Spotify will be introducing two new ad formats for its free music tier.
One of these ad formats is called Video Takeover. It will be available at first only on Spotify’s desktop clients, and will serve up a 15- or 30-second long commercial with video, which will take over the Spotify client while it plays.
The other format is a little more interesting. Called Sponsored Session, it allows users of Spotify’s mobile apps the choice of watching a 15- or 30-second long commercial, in exchange for a 30-minute, totally ad-free experience.
I suppose if you’re listening to Spotify free, you’re willing to put up with these sorts of annoyances, and Sponsored Session, at least, allows you to bypass ad for a half-hour in exchange for watching a single one upfront.
Still, video ads are the pleasure killers of many a free service. You might want to consider ponying up a monthly fee just to get away from them.
Source: AdAge
