Spotify finally lets artists restrict new albums to premium subscribers

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Two years after reports that Spotify might let labels limit new albums to paying subscribers, Universal Music Group-one of the "big three" music publishers-has finally inked such a deal with the streaming music giant.

The deal allows Universal Music to make some albums available only to those who subscribe to Spotify's 10/month premium service, but only for a period of two weeks. After two weeks, the album once again becomes available to all users.

"We know that not every album by every artist should be released the same way, and we've worked hard with UMG to develop a new, flexible release policy," said Spotify CEO Daniel Ek in a statement. "Starting today, Universal artists can choose to release new albums on premium only for two weeks, offering subscribers an earlier chance to explore the complete creative work, while the singles are available across Spotify for all our listeners to enjoy."

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