Spotify expected to finally launch in U.S. soon
There have been rumors for months that Spotify, the digital music service that is all the rage abroad, will be coming to the United States. Now it seems that plans to do so are finally on track.
Spotify's general manager Jonathan Forster informed Tom Forenski of Silicon Valley Watcher that "we're signing the remaining deals as I speak" with the major American music labels. Unfortunately, Forster wasn't more specific than saying it wouldn't be before July 5th, which could be absolutely any time after that.
Spotify is an incredibly popular service internationally because it offers free access to over 13 million songs for playback on a computer. There are affordable paid plans that vary based on mobile access and a "no advertisements" feature.
However, there have been major roadblocks to permitting access from within the United States due to questions over legal issues and licensing deals. Also, it's likely that competitors such as Pandora and then the rising collective of cloud-based music service providers (i.e. Sony, Amazon, Apple and Google) wouldn't be too happy to see Spotify launched stateside. After all, Spotify already retains at least one million paid subscribers and then another 10 million who are willing to listen for free with ads.
There was no mention of the recent rumor that Spotify would be integrated as a widget into Facebook that would allow members to playback Spotify's vast catalog from there. Additionally, Spotify recently launched a new feature that allows users to sync and download their playlists to the iPod.
It's possible that these plans could come to fruition in Europe, where no one seems to have a problem with Spotify. But as for U.S. music fans, the wait continues.
Related:
- Sony's Music Unlimited music service goes mobile on Android
- Last.fm co-founder: "Apple just f***** over online music subs for the iPhone"
- Pandora's IPO debacle: Shares plunge through offering price after a day
- A Quick And Extra-Dirty Music-Lover's Google Music Review
- Google Music proves why it deserves the beta label