Spotify headed to the US?
Could Spoitfy be heading to the US? It’s been rumoured for a while, but more fuel for the fire came today with the announcement that Spotify founder Daniel Ek will headline the South By South West conference in the US this year.
South By South West is a key date in the US music festival calendar, and its timing seems to support the growing mood that the US is ready for a Spotify launch.
Daniel Ek has been vocal in the past of his plans to hit the US market. Speaking to TechRadar, he said that “a Spotify launch in the US is absolutely part of our plans, but we want to fully establish ourselves in Europe before that happens.”
But will a US version of Spotify be able to support the free, ad-based model that made it so popular in Europe? With many of the major labels making most of their sales revenue in US territories, Ek will have to fight hard to get the record companies on side for any proposed American launch.
