Spotify reveals US launch, but Australia still not on the cards

Spotify founders Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon (Credit: Spotify)

Music streaming sensation Spotify has announced plans to at long last launch in the United States, but says Australia is still not on the cards despite a high level of interest from fans Down Under.

The company launched in Europe in October 2008, offering one of the most comprehensive music streaming services with the full backing of music labels – something which many other streaming companies have struggled to gain, at least at an affordable price.

Users can stream more than 13 million songs over the web to a myriad of devices, including Apple’s iPhone and many Android devices. Spotify also offers a desktop and web client which both free and paying customers can utilise.

After promising to launch in the United States back in 2009 the company has since remained quite on their progress into the country, with negotiations over music licensing believed to be responsible for the delays.

Until today that is. Spotify is now promoting their launch in the United States, encouraging visitors from the country to sign-up for pre-launch invites to the service.

Unfortunately the news is not so good for Australians, with a spokesperson from the company telling iTech Report that although interest in the service is high in Australia, the company isn’t planning on launching locally anytime soon.

“Spotify’s long term aim is to be available in every country,” the Spotify spokesperson confirmed.

“We know just how passionate Australian music fans are but we don’t have any immediate plans to launch there.”

It’s another blow to Australians hoping to embrace web streaming services, with many popular U.S.-based sites including Hulu, a video catch-up service and Netflix, a movie streaming site still not available locally years after launch.