Spotify is Heading to Australia
Music lovers, start your engines.
The Sydney Morning Herald’s gadget guru reported yesterday that Spotify, the subscription music service that has taken music streaming to new heights, is coming to Australia.
Originally founded in 2008 in Sweden, the service, which allows users to access a range of artists and albums and build personal playlists on their computer or mobile, has spread across Europe, the UK and the US. Australia, the world’s seventh largest market for recorded music, seems a logical next step for the music giant’s continued expansion.
The interest in online music certainly there: according to a 2011 study commissioned by the Australian Content Industry Group, a quarter of the national population download online content illegally.
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“When Spotify was launched our biggest goal was to combat piracy by being easier than stealing music. We want to re-engage people with legal music again,” Spotify’s communications manager Jim Butcher told the SMH.
While the basic Spotify streaming service is free, ad-free and mobile use services incur a monthly charge. However, the free service is what generally hooks fans in the first place, so Butcher and his Spotify team are currently in talks with Australian record labels.
“We’re working hard to make our music library as broad as possible. Meanwhile the rights holders are beginning to realise it doesn’t make sense to have territory by territory services,” Butcher said. “People can find the music they want on The Pirate Bay, so why not let them find it on legit services such as Spotify where the industry is getting paid?”
There is currently no set launch date for Spotify in Australia.
UPDATE 22/5/12: Slash Gear has reported that Spotify has launched in Australia and New Zealand.
