Spotify launched in the U.S. nine months ago with support from all four major music labels. To drive rapid user adoption, Spotify promised U.S. consumers access to an unlimited amount of streaming music without restrictions for six months. After that period, non-paying users would be limited to 10 hours of free music per month, or have to sign up for one of two paying options: $4.99 per month for unlimited, ad-free desktop access, or $9.99 per month for unlimited, ad-free for desktop, mobile and offline access.
So why is Spotify extending its free offer once again? Peter Kafka at AllThingsD has two ideas: 1) That Spotify and its music partners are pleased with the number of users who are naturally upgrading from Spotify's free to premium services, at a rate of about 15%; or 2) Spotify is trying to ramp up its user growth numbers while it raises another round of funding.