Spotify and Google Play Music unmetered for Optus prepaid customers from May 2

Optus prepaid customers will be able to stream music through services including Spotify and Google Play Music without eating into their data allowance from May 2.

Dubbed "data free music streaming", the offer will be available to both new and existing prepaid subscribers across My Prepaid Ultimate and My Prepaid Daily Plus plans. Spotify, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, and Guvera will all be available "data free". Apple Music is a notable absence, presumably due to the service's partnership with Telstra.

While music streaming is far less data intensive than online video, listening to 7.25 hours of music on Spotify's "extreme" quality setting will burn through 1GB of data, for example. High quality gives users around 14 hours per gigabyte, and normal will stretch it to 24 hours.

Optus Managing Director of Marketing and Product Ben White says customers are still concerned about using too much data when streaming music on the go.

"Although Australia is a nation of music lovers, we know that data is the number one barrier for Optus customers when it comes to music streaming," said White. "We're confident these plans will break down the data barrier and convince more Aussies to try music streaming with Optus prepaid."