Spotify has signed a new licensing agreement that could see a number of independent labels withholding new releases from free users of the streaming service for two weeks.

The deal, made with digital rights agency Merlin, which represents independent labels like Warp, XL, Domino and many more, will give labels the chance to decide which releases, if any, they will hold from Spotify's free service. It is hoped that the move will encourage people to sign up to one of Spotify's paid subscriptions which benefits the streaming platform and thus the labels and artists whose music is available to stream.

A similar deal was signed with Universal Music Group recently too, allowing the major labels owned by the group to withhold new releases from the service for up to two weeks.