Spotify removes five-play limit for free users... but not in the UK

Ultra-popular music streaming service Spotify has dropped some of the restrictions on users of its free service in five European countries -- just not the UK.
About a year ago, in April 2011, Spotify significantly restricted its Spotify Free offering, where users listen to ads in between songs in exchange for free music. The permitted hours of listening per month were chopped in half from 20 to 10, and users were limited to just five plays of any one particular song, ever. Users pinned the blame for the move on content owners nervous about supplying their music for free.
However, as Spotify has grown, it appears that those content owners are becoming more confident. Spotify has successfully managed to persuade them to let it drop the five-plays limit in five European countries -- Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain. The 10-hours-per-month time limit still remains in place.
However, in Britain and the States [see update below] -- two of the four biggest markets for recorded music -- along with France, the play limit will be staying for the time being. A Spotify spokesperson stayed tight-lipped on the front, telling Wired.co.uk: "Our agreements with the labels differ from market to market. We're working hard to bring these improvements to the entire service, so watch this space."
MusicAlly notes that in the other European countries where Spotify operates, all users are still in their initial six-month unlimited free trial periods, so the track caps haven't kicked in yet. It's not yet clear what'll happen there when that deadline expires.
Updated 17:22 29/03/2012: Shortly after publishing this story, Spotify announced that it's extending its free listening period in the US for the time being. In the nine months that the service has been operational in the States, its users haven't been subjected to any caps because they've been in a grace period. It's that grace period that has now been extended.
Also, Spotify's spokesperson clarified to Wired.co.uk that the five-listen cap has been lifted "across Europe" with the exceptions of the UK and France. As such, German, Belgian, Austrian, Swiss and Dutch users of the service shouldn't hit any caps when that free trial period runs out.

Thank You : www.wired.co.uk