On Way To America, Spotify Might Have Wounded Itself
June 24, 2011
The Swedish-based Spotify music service could arrive stateside sometime between July 5th and July 15th. When it does, however, it won’t offer a free package like one long enjoyed in Europe, according to Billboard.
Spotify USA will arrive sometime next month and cost users $10 per month. This is according to “a post by The Noisecast, which claims to have spoken with a source who claims to have received the details in an e-mail correspondence with a major label executive.”
Billboard suggests once it arrives, Spotify USA will be available by invitation only, which is typically how music services are launched today.
According to Cult Of Mac, Warner Music Group demanded and received a guarantee that Spotify USA arrive without a free package for customers.
Available in Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK, Spotify is Europe’s only streaming music service of its kind. However, the same cannot be said in the U.S. where various music-streaming services already exist such as Rhapsody, Rdio, and MOG.
Billboard, among others in the music industry, fear Spotify’s arrival here could be a few years too late.
They state:
But in terms of buzz, Spotify has pretty much reached a plateau in U.S. over the last 12 months, according to Google Trends' results for the search term "Spotify" in the U.S. In fact, U.S. search volume for "spotify" peaked in 2009 with the launch of the company's iPhone and Android apps.Before today, we were excited about Spotify’s arrival in the U.S. However, now that it looks like it will come without a free service, our excitement has faded somewhat. What about you? Are you still looking forward to Spotify USA? Let us know by using the comments below.