Swedish music-streaming service Spotify has been made available in the US today.
Music-streaming service is 'invite-only'
Until now, only web users based in the UK, Sweden, Finland, France, Norway, the Netherlands and Spain, could access the music streaming service that not only offers free listening, but also lets mobile phone owners access tracks while on and offline, as well as managing the music stored on iPods, iPhones and Google Android devices.
Spotify, which offers a library of around 15 million tracks, has 10 million registered users in Europe and more than 1.6 million paying subscribers across the seven countries. The service is currently in invite-only beta in the US and offers three different versions; an ad-supported free option, the $4.99 Unlimited option that ensures users can listen to as many tracks as they like but without being interrupted by adverts and the Premium option. Priced at $9.99, this builds on unlimited with on and offline listening from mobile phones.
"We believe that music is the most social thing there is and that's why we've built the best social features into Spotify for easy sharing and the ultimate in music discovery," said Daniel Ek, founder and CEO of Spotify.
"Even if you aren't a total music freak, chances are you have a friend who is and whose taste you admire. I'm looking forward to connecting with some of you in Spotify and discovering some cool new tracks."
Spotify has been rumoured to be launching in the US for some time. In March this year, CEO Daniel Elk revealed Spotify had secured around £100m in funding to help break into the US.
US users can request an invite to the service by using Spotify's dedicated web page.
