Streaming music service Spotify, which is gunning to compete with iTunes, just put up a holding page for it’s US service which will presumably be launched soon. Users are being asked to enter an e-mail address on its U.S. site to get an update.
Date, pricing and partners are not yet specified but it looks like they landed the final music label deals they were after to launch the service.
Spotify recently joined the “billion dollar club” after closing a $100 million round that’s been in the works since at least February, with DST, Kleiner, and Accel participating. This was obviously to back the US launch.
Since at least June there has been speculation that Facebook may integrate Spotify (this might even be part of tomorrow’s ‘awesome’ press event).
Spotify has often promised a U.S. launch that would include a free version of the product like they have in Europe, designed to stop music piracy. The promises have come and gone. And there were even rumors Google and Spotify were in deep negotiations, before the gossip about a Facebook partnership emerged.
However, Americans who have tried the service generally like it as much as Europeans, where it has been something of a hit.
As we predicted the successful completion of U.S. music label negotiations meant the the triggering of the $1bn round, which triggers the Facebook deal and then the US launch.
tct