London – Spotify, the European streaming music service that
had promised to launch in the U.S. by year’s end, will not meet that
self-imposed deadline, CEO Daniel Ek told All Thngs D.
"It’s a business
problem and a product problem at the same time," Ek remarked, on the
reasons for the delay.
Spotify offers a free, ad-supported music streaming
service in a number of countries in Europe that is attracting some 10 million
users, in addition to a paid service that counts around 750,000 subscribers.
The
company has reportedly been in talks with the major record labels for a year on
a U.S. launch, but has yet to reach a deal with any of them.
Ek added that
although the company is not currently in the midst of raising new financing,
the company would not rule it out.
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(All Things D)
Dang, I was hoping Spotify would launch in the US by years end. As mentioned in this great article royalties are a true sticking point. When Spotify is able to jump the pond the service should continue to change the way folks consume music, and be a leader in streaming platforms. Streaming is a huge shift from music ownership and consumer patterns, but it provides more and unlimited access for true music fans. Really excited to check out the mobile app, too.