It took over two years of negotiation with record companies, but Swedish streaming music service Spotify has finally launched in America.
The deal relied on finalising deals with the big four record labels – Universal, Sony, EMI and Warner Music. Warner was the last to sign up, agreeing terms earlier this week.
To begin with, free accounts will only be offered on an invitation-only basis from existing members. There will however be an ad-free version for $4.99 per month as well as the full premium account with mobile access for $9.99 per month (the UK equivalents for both options are £4.99 and £9.99, though there’s also the option of a limited-play free service).