Soundtrap, the music and podcast software maker that Spotify acquired in 2017, is improving its free tier by adding unlimited storage.
Previously, Soundtrap’s free users were limited to storing five projects at a time. In addition to introducing unlimited storage, the company is also more-than-doubling the amount of music available to free users, who now have access to it’s now have access to 2,210 loops and 210 software instruments.
Soundtrap still offers paid subscriptions (starting at $7.99 per month for musicians and $11.99 for podcasters) that include even more loops and instruments, as well as interactive transcript editing.
By adding more features to the free tier, Soundtrap could attract users over from other free products like Audacity, then eventually convert some of those users into paying customers. However, co-founder and general manager Per Emanuelsson said there was a simpler reason for the change.
“The reason we’re doing it is to democratize music-making in general,” Emanuelsson told me. “We hope, obviously, that this will really be perceived … as way to get more people to be creative, who can’t be creative today.”
Soundtrap’s announcement also notes that Spotify improved its free tier last year. When asked whether he was following in the parent company’s footsteps, Emanuelsson said, “It’s more a fact that Spotify changed its free tier in 2018. We’re a strong believer in that type of model.”