Leaks hint Facebook in deal with Spotify with US plans too
updated 02:05 pm EDT, Fri July 1, 2011
Spotify may have Facebook link within US
Facebook's talks with Spotify were backed by laucnhes in the US. CNET's tip for the story included one source that believed a basic deal had already been struck but couldn't be corroborated.
The company wouldn't comment on the latest slips other than to say it already had a basic tie-in with Facebook in Europe.
Earlier tips had it costing $10 per month for the full Premium service. A free version may still be in place, but if so will have the tighter limits of 10 hours of free listening and fewer listens per track. A long-rumored condition of bringing Spotify to the US has been stepping up the number of paying users instead of relying on free, ad-supported listeners like Spotify usually has in Europe.
Spotify is widely considered one of the most popular music services of any kind in its home continent. Its translation to the US may prove difficult, though, both for the reduced free access but also its brand name. Spotify had the market almost to itself early on but will be entering a US market where rough equivalents like Rdio and Slacker already exist. Pay-per-track has usually fared much better in the US and has given Apple's iTunes has about two thirds of the field.
Deep integration with Facebook, such as an always-up player, could give Spotify an equivalent distinctive edge. It already has Android and iOS apps and should have a Windows Phone app by the end of the year.
