Sprint, Spotify to strike agreement: reports

Wireless carrier Sprint is planning to strike an agreement with digital music service Spotify. The deal, which could include free trials, joint billing arrangements and discounts on premium plans, is expected to be announced at the end of the month in New York City, tech news website Re/code reported.

A pact between the two companies had been whispered about according to Re/code, and was said to be on the lines of a deal between AT&T and Beats Music.

AT&T partnered with music streaming service Beats Music, which offered the same service that Spotify did. The amount which was being paid by its users cost $9.99 less than the original price and for $15 the service could be shared among five members of a family.

If the reports were to be confirmed on 29 April, Sprint customers would be able to add a Spotify subscription to their monthly bill and could get some discount on the premium $9.99-per-month rate at the same time. Both companies  meanwhile, declined to comment on the report.

Among the options being explored is a family plan that allows Sprint users to share a Spotify subscription between them for a lower fee and Re/Code quoted insider sources as saying this would be integrated into the Family plans that Sprint already operated.

Any deal would require approval from the music labels working with Spotify, which could lead to the agreement getting delayed.

Since Spotify had more users than Beats Music, Sprint was expected to price Spotify's offerings at prices almost similar to AT&T's.