Spotify due in US by summer, BlackBerry and webOS in tow
updated 12:15 pm EDT, Fri March 26, 2010
Spotify readies for US deal and new mobile apps
Spotify's unlimited music streaming should go live in the US by the summer, the company's Senior VP Paul Brown said Thursday. The company has been installing servers and said it only has easy license negotiations to complete before it took Spotify online between July and September. Whether pricing for the Premium version would vary from the 10 UK pound ($15) monthly subscription wasn't discussed.
Brown did tell Bloomberg that his company is in early talks for developing BlackBerry and webOS versions of the Spotify mobile app. It already has Android and iPhone versions available, both of which require Premium to use. On computers, ad-supported streaming is free.
The service is one of the most popular ways of listening to music in Europe and is unique in being partly owned by major music labels rather than simply licensing their music. Concerns have been raised that the costs of streaming might not properly compensate artists, but Spotify is also credited with turning some potential pirates away and preserving revenue that would otherwise have been lost.
