July 2011
1 post
Watch“….Bored by the chore/Of saving face…”
June 2011
1 post
Spotify GM: "We're signing the remaining deals as...
“Spotify has raised $100m (£61m) in a funding round that values the European music streaming service at $1bn ahead of its imminent US expansion.
…The funding round has been interpreted as a sign that Spotify’s long-delayed US rollout could be announced within weeks.
…Spotify’s general manager, Jonathan Forster, did little to dampen down the anticipating...
April 2011
1 post
Spotify Limits Free Service; U.S. Launch Finally...
“U.S. music fans have anticipated Spotify for well over two years now. As they’ve waited, the service has continued to change, and these new limitations mean that if Spotify does launch here, it will be very different from the service that originally attracted so much attention in Europe.”
WIRED Epicenter, “Spotify Further Limits Free Service: Hint of U.S. Launch...
January 2011
1 post
Music exec: "Spotify is launching in the U.S., for...
“Spotify, the popular European music service, is finally crossing the pond, The Post has learned.
…The Luxembourg-based music service is days away from signing a deal with is Sony Music, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
“Spotify is launching in the US, for sure,” one music executive said. “They’ve got the deals now.”
New York Post,...
December 2010
2 posts
Spotify can no longer commit to 2010 U.S. launch...
“[A] Spotify spokesman told The Telegraph: “We’re definitely on our way to the US but we can’t commit to a specific date.”
This is in stark contrast to the message the company has been giving out in recent weeks and months, which is that the service would definitely launch in the US this side of 2010.
The spokesman admitted that the company’s stance had changed, and it was no...
We'll Launch in the U.S., Just Not Sure When
“Spotify, the U.K.-based music-streaming site will eventually launch the service in the U.S., its CEO Daniel Ek said in an interview at D:Dive Into Mobile, but he wouldn’t commit to a specific date. That’s a step back from a previous promise to launch the service in the U.S. in 2010.”
AllThingsD, “Spotify’s Daniel Ek: We’ll Launch in the U.S., Just Not Sure...
October 2010
1 post
6 tags
Labels say "nothing certain" about Spotify launch...
“But multiple music industry sources say that Spotify, which is now in discussions with all four big record companies, is facing an assortment of obstacles—some of its own making, and some from external forces. They stressed that there is nothing certain about the company’s chances of opening a U.S. shop by Dec. 31.”
CNET, “Spotify crashes into Apple on way to...
6 tags
Spotify: happy holidays for U.S. launch?
“But word from the [Spotify] party, at which [the company] hosted a few hundred people, is that the start-up does indeed now expect to make good on its latest expectation, to launch before 2010’s end. Specifically, a go-live date between Thanksgiving and Christmas is in the works.”
PaidContent, “Spotify Does Expect U.S. Launch Before 2010’s Out,” 9.30.10
September 2010
2 posts
3 tags
Uh oh: Spotify still hasn't signed any U.S. label...
“Spotify, the European music service that drops the jaws of all who try it, is at risk of blowing another self-imposed deadline for launching in the United States.
While CEO Daniel Ek has promised that Spotify will finally launch before the end of 2010, the company has yet to sign a single licensing agreement with any of the top four record companies, multiple music industry sources told...
July 2010
3 posts
5 tags
Spotify "vehemently denies" reports; says it will...
“Yesterday, Billboard, a US music industry magazine, reported that Spotify’s “licensing negotiations with the major [US] music labels have reverted back to square one”, citing multiple sources. However, Spotify, talking to The Telegraph, has denied the allegations in the report, saying the service is still on course to launch by the end of 2010.
A Spotify spokesman said: “Regarding label...
4 tags
Uh oh: Spotify U.S. launch plans "back to square...
“Spotify’s licensing negotiations with the major music labels have reverted back to square one, Billboard.biz has learned from multiple sources. Having failed to persuade the major record labels to go along with its vision for a U.S. version of the popular European service, Spotify in the last month has approached the labels with a clean slate to determine what type of service would be...
5 tags
U.S. launch "on track for this year": Spotify CEO
“[Spotify CEO Daniel Ek] said the long-rumoured American launch of the service was still on track and would happen before the end of the year. “We’re still on track for launching it this year and I’m going back to the US all the time to meet with people.”
The Telegraph, “Spotify ‘growing healthily and on track for US launch,” 7.14.10
June 2010
2 posts
6 tags
U.S. launch still "in the works," say Spotify...
“Prochaine étape : les Etats-Unis. Le lancement est programmé pour cette année, mais sur ce sujet également, les dirigeants de Spotify sont muets ou presque. « On peut vous confirmer qu’on y travaille » est la seule réponse que l’on entend quand la question est posée.”
Les Echos, “Musique en ligne: Spotify, le petit site qui monte,” 6.21.10
...
5 tags
"Rejected" by labels, Spotify still aims for fall...
“Also, the major music labels have so far rejected a United States version of Spotify, a popular European subscription service. Music executives object to the fact that music can be played free on Spotify, along with ads.
A person briefed on Spotify’s plans said the company, based in Sweden, was still aiming for a United States introduction this fall, though elements of the service here...
May 2010
2 posts
4 tags
Spotify's "chilly" answer: U.S. launch happening...
“Spotify will launch in the U.S. sometime this year, Daniel Ek, CEO of the digital music service, said in an interview on May 27, the first day of the Music Matters conference in Hong Kong.”
McClure’s Asia Music News, “Music Matters Day 1 Highlights: Spotify to launch in U.S.,” 5.28.10
@AdamZammit tweet from the conference: “chilly response at Music Matters...
10 tags
Spotify: Strike that! U.S. launch now happening by...
“A spokeswoman from Spotify said the company is planning to launch in the United States by the end of the year.”
CNN.com: ”Apple faces iTunes threat from overseas,” 5.4.10
March 2010
6 posts
10 tags
Spotify: Strike that - we're launching "later this...
“Financial news site Bloomberg has published a story claiming that Spotify “aims to start U.S. operations in the third quarter.” It’s based on an interview with the company’s Paul Brown, but nowhere in the piece is he actually quoted as nailing down a specific quarter for the US launch. So we asked Spotify’s communications boss Jim Butcher, and he confirmed that the company hasn’t set itself...
6 tags
Spotify: We're launching by Q3 2010!
“Spotify, a virtual digital jukebox and Europe’s largest legal online music site, aims to start U.S. operations in the third quarter. The Stockholm-based company, which has 7 million users in Europe, is in talks with unidentified U.S. Internet and mobile-phone service providers about partnerships, Senior Vice President Paul Brown said in an interview yesterday.”
Bloomberg News: ”Spotify...
9 tags
WIRED asks "When, Spotify....?"
“First, we heard that Spotify was going to launch here by the end of last year, then we heard this spring, and from what Brown told Bloomberg, the new prospective launch date is the third quarter of this year.”
WIRED: ”Inch-by-Inch: Spotify Now Buying Server Space in United States,” 3.26.10
9 tags
Spotify's U.S. debut: imminent isn't so imminent
“Only a few months ago, its launch in the U.S. was imminent, Ek believed, but on Tuesday he made no such promises or predictions. ‘We have to get our ducks in a row with partnerships and publishing,’ he said. Deals still needed to be struck with 5,000 publishers and collecting societies, because he wants his service to be completely above board. He didn’t elaborate on the...
13 tags
Spotify CEO: we're coming soon-- I still can't say...
“Everybody piled into the ballroom today at the Austin Convention Center to hear Spotify CEO Daniel Ek give the final keynote interview of SXSWI of 2010 fully expecting to be blown away with the release of the peer-to-peer music player. Instead, we got somewhat evasive and elusive answers on when to expect a U.S. version….”
ReadWriteWeb: “Spotify Founder Leaves Us...
9 tags
Spotify CEO: It doesn't matter to us if we're late...
“We’ve always said we wanted to launch in early 2010. We still hope that will be the case,” [Spotify CEO Daniel] Ek said in an interview with the Times following his keynote. “That said, I don’t think it matters for us if it’s two or three months later. The U.S. is the world’s biggest market. And to use an American phrase, we really want to hit it out of...
February 2010
2 posts
8 tags
Spotify to labels: we're launching in U.S. by...
“Spotify managers have been more specific about a launch date in private conversations with music executives, according to multiple record industry sources. They say Spotify would like to announce a launch date at the South by Southwest conference on March 16, when Ek is scheduled to participate in a keynote interview.”
CNET News: “Spotify has much to do before U.S....
7 tags
Spotify CEO: U.S. launch "looking good," but I...
On the timing of a U.S. launch: “We’re in the final stages of setting up. Yesterday we signed a data center contract, which is huge for us. We’re making a huge investment in servers and all the infrastructure here in the U.S. So, we’re gearing up for a U.S. launch. I can’t say if it’s in one month’s time or two month’s time, but it’s looking...
December 2009
1 post
8 tags
Spotify: We're launching in Q1 2010!
“But for now, everyone at Spotify is focused on getting the company launched in the U.S. [Spotify founder Daniel] Ek, in fact, has been moved to New York to get the job done. The goal is to get the service rolled out by the first quarter of 2010.”
GigaOm: “How Hot Is Spotify?,” 12.10.09
November 2009
1 post
11 tags
Spotify: We're launching in the U.S. in early...
“Speaking at the Monaco Media Forum, Mr Ek said that the plan to launch stateside is on track to happen at the beginning of next year. Originally when Mr Ek announced he would be rolling out the service to the US back in July 2009, he had said it would launch in the third or fourth quarter of 2009.”
The Telegraph: “Spotify chief, Daniel Ek, rules out 2009 US launch,” 11.12.09
September 2009
1 post
7 tags
Spotify's "different" U.S. launch: maybe 2009,...
“The U.S. is a completely different market, and the competition landscape’s different,” [Spotify global community manager Andres] Sehr added. “We know Europe, and we want to get to know the U.S., so when we launch there, it’ll definitely be a challenge for us.”
“…Licensing agreements are what’s keeping Spotify from becoming available sooner in the U.S. and other major markets. Mr. Sehr said the...
July 2009
2 posts
8 tags
Spotify: We're launching in the U.S. by the end of...
“We feel very comfortable, in that the labels want to see Spotify in the U.S.,” said [Spotify founder Daniel] Ek. “Our hope is to get something up and running before the end of the year.”
WIRED: “Spotify Set to Take America by Storm,” 7.22.09
7 tags
Spotify CEO: We’re launching in U.S. by “end of...
“The way Americans listen to music online might be about to change. Music-streaming Web site Spotify, an online software program that gives Internet users instant and free access to more than 5 million songs, is set to launch in the U.S. later this summer, following its rapid acceptance in Europe.”
“Still, analysts believe Spotify’s success in the U.S. is far from a shoo-in. Spotify has...