Spotify’s latest ploy to get you to pay: free Chromecasts

With Tidal nabbing headlines thanks to big-name exclusives, and Apple Music passing the 10 million subscriber milestone, you could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting about Spotify. But as news emerges that the music-streaming giant is about to hit 30 million paying members, Spotify has revealed an interesting tactic to tempt its users to sidestep the ad-supported model and cough up.

From today through February 28, those who sign up to Spotify Premium for the first time in the U.S. or U.K. will be able to pay $29.97, the normal price for a Premium membership over a three-month period, and receive a free Chromecast.

Spotify finally announced it would support the Google-owned HDMI dongle last year, and at the same time Google revealed it was launching a separate device specifically for music fans called Chromecast Audio, though you will only receive the normal Chromecast as part of this offer. At $35, the device is cheap anyway, but if you were thinking of buying one and also upgrading your Spotify account, now would be a good time to do so.

The music-streaming war is intensifying, and with Spotify reportedly seeking another $500 million in debt financing, the company is keener than ever to boost its paying user base. Good ol’ fashioned promotional giveaways is a tried-and-tested means of getting people’s attention, so it’s worth a try.