U.S. Launch Of Spotify Delayed
Billboard reports that Spotify’s licensing negotiations with the major music labels have reverted back to square one. Having failed to persuade the major record labels to go along with its vision for a U.S. version of the popular European service, Spotify in the last month has approached the labels with a clean slate to determine what type of service would be possible to launch before the end of the year.
Spotify has been working on a U.S. launch for almost two years, originally expecting to go live in this market in 2009. But some labels, most notably Warner Music Group, have gone on record stating their displeasure with the “freemium” model that Spotify champions, which offers unlimited streaming for free under an ad supported model designed to drive users to a premium paid service that eliminates ads and offers mobile access.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has insisted he wants to offer Spotify in the U.S. under a similar sort of model, with perhaps some changes to the length of time that the free version would be available.
Billboard’s sources say Spotify is open to short-term deals that would allow it to launch a framework of the service by the end of this year, designed to evolve over time as the in-dispute elements are revisited.
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