According to various reports on the net, Spotify has secured a licensing deal with Sony Music to launch its streaming music service in the US.
According to C-Net, the deal will enable Spotify to offer American music fans a free ad-funded PC-based music service as well as a pay-to-use ad-free and mobile compatible option, ie pretty much the same as in Europe. As with new subscribers over here, the free version will be limited to a certain number of hours a month – in Europe the limit is twenty hours.
Neither Spotify nor Sony have commented on whether or not a licensing deal is indeed in place. Gossipers have been predicted a Sony deal would be first for a few weeks now, and last weekend the New York Post claimed an agreement was “days away”.
Of course, one major label deal does not a US launch make. Spotify’s arrival Stateside has been delayed considerably because of concerns among American label execs regarding the European company’s freemium option, which some reckon could have a negative impact on other pay-to-use streaming services already operational in the US like Rhapsody and MOG.
But assuming the reports of a Sony deal are true, Spotify will presumably hope that having one major label on board will provide the momentum to get the others to play ball also.
Sections: Digital - Top Stories | Tags: Sony Music, Spotify
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