"Due to the new restrictions put in place by the main payment providers, the majority of Premium users in Russia can no longer make their payments," a spokesperson for the world's number one audio platform told AFP.
Paid accounts "will be canceled if the monthly payment fails and the account will be automatically switched to our free service," he said in a written statement.
Spotify did not immediately confirm the number of subscribers it will lose in Russia, but according to the American magazine Variety, it intends to revise its forecast of subscribers downwards by 1.5 million at the end of the first trimester.
The free service remains available "to allow the global flow of information" to continue to circulate, indicates the world number one podcast, stressing "that art and information are powerful forces for good".
The group listed in New York had already announced last week the closure of its offices in Russia and the withdrawal of content sponsored by the Russian state from its site.
© 2022 AFP