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Spotify Coming to U.S. in 'Third Quarter,' BlackBerry App in Tow?

by Terrence O'Brien on March 26, 2010 at 03:00 PM

Spotify Finally Coming to the U.S., BlackBerry App in Tow?
Those of us in the U.S. have been waiting rather impatiently for the arrival of music streaming service Spotify. We were originally told that the top notch music service, which allows you to select what you stream, would hit the states in late 2009. Of course, 2009 has come and gone, and we're already entering spring of 2010 with very little word from the folks at Spotify. Bloomberg News reports that Senior VP Paul Brown said yesterday in an interview that the new launch target is in the third quarter of 2010.

The freemium service has roughly seven million users across Europe, with over 325,000 of those paying about $15 (£9.99) a month for the ad-free version with mobile access. In addition to the available Android, iPhone and Symbian apps, Spotify hopes to have mobile apps ready for its premium customers using Palm and BlackBerry devices by the time it launches in the States.

We've actually used Spotify before, and are impressed with the service. The delay in getting it released to wider U.S. audiences, though, may have stolen some of its thunder. When Spotify originally launched in 2008, it was heads above competitors like Rhapsody and Slacker. Since then, MOG has hit the scene, impressing users with its expansive catalog, versatility and social networking integration. Rhapsody also recently announced that it will be updating its iPhone app to provide local caching of tracks, so that even if you lose a data signal the music won't stop playing -- a key part of what made the Spotify iPhone app so unique when it was announced in September of 2009.

Of course, we'll be tracking Spotify's progress as it marches towards American shores, so keep an eye out for our review as the service nears launch. [From: Bloomberg]

Tags: audio, blackberry, cell phones, CellPhones, iphone, music, palm, spotify, streaming, top, web, web app, WebApp

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