Los Angeles – European streaming music service Spotify has signed a licensing deal with Universal Music Group covering the U.S., leaving only Warner Music among the four major record labels to have not yet approved the service for distribution in the U.S., All Things D reported, citing multiple sources.
Spotify signed licensing deals with Sony Music and EMI Music earlier this year.
The ad-supported service lets users stream songs on demand from a library of millions of tracks, while a premium, ad-free tier offers unlimited streaming and is expected to cost about $10 per month.
Spotify has been angling to launch in the U.S. for some time now, but has been hamstrung by thorny licensing negotiations with record labels.
All Things D speculated that the signing of Universal could provide enough momentum to see the service launched in the U.S. yet this summer.
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http://tinyurl.com/6gpxmeb (All Things D)
