Spotify has been available in Europe for several years and launched in the U.S. a few months ago. So when is Australia going to be joining the party?
The good news is that Australia looks to be next on the agenda for Spotify as it seeks to continue on its quest for global dominance of the music streaming market. The bad news is the effort is only just beginning, and it’ll likely be months, if not years, before Spotify actually launches here.
The first step down this long road, and what prompted this article, is hiring local staff. And that is exactly what Spotify is doing, with a Label Relations Manager being sought in Sydney. As Delimiter notes this signifies a ramping up of the effort to launch in Australia, though there is still no official timeline for when it will finally happen.
Some of you may not have a clue what I’m talking about, so a quick summary of Spotify and the service it provides is clearly in order. Spotify is a Swedish company now based in London which offers a music streaming service built around playlists. There is a free option which comes with restrictions and advertising, and two paid options which remove the ads, all restrictions, and add mobile and offline streaming modes. In the U.S. these plans are $4.99- and $9.99-per-month.
I’ve been watching Spotify with interest over the past few years, and the sooner it arrives on Australian shores the better. If the U.S. launch is anything to go by then expect a generous offer of six months free of restrictions upon signing up, and then the option to either subscribe or be limited to 10 hours-per-month and 5 plays-per-song.
The launch will likely be an invite-only affair as well, so now may be a good time to befriend some people online already enjoying the benefits of Spotify.
