T-Mobile Sets Music Streaming Services Free

The “Un-carrier” said it will offer subscribers unlimited access to the top six music streaming services including Pandora, Slacker, iHeart Radio and Spotify without incurring data charges on their 4G plans, according to recode.net. Samsung’s Milk Music and the forthcoming Beatport music app from SFX – will also be offered to customers free of data charges.

The announcement recognizes the growing popularity of streaming music as well as the fact consumers have a tough time knowing how much data such services will use.

Consumers increasingly are tuning in Spotify and other music services to listen to millions of songs on-demand. Global revenues from music subscription services exceeded $1 billion for the first time last year, according to the IFPI, the music industry’s international trade group.

T-Mobile cited the results of a CivicScience poll in which 37 percent of mobile phone users said they avoid streaming on their phones – the majority out of fear that they’ll use up their data and run into overages.

“We want people to enjoy their music worry-free – the way it’s meant to be,” T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said in a statement.

Some in the music industry expressed skepticism that data limits are restricting mobile consumption, noting that songs don’t take up as much data as video — and most consumers tend to use Wi-Fi for such services.

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