Universal Music to Challenge Freemium Model of Spotify

Financial Times: The “freemium” model used by Spotify to amass 60 million users and 15 million paying subscribers around the world is facing a new challenge just months after the pop star Taylor Swift yanked her albums from the music streaming service. Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company and home to acts ranging from Sam Smith to Katy Perry, is using license negotiations with Spotify to push for changes to the company’s free service, privately arguing that it is not sufficiently distinct from the its paid-subscription tier.