So, after prolonged discussions with record labels and music industry officials, the Americans have caught up with us Brits and Spotify is finally online in the US.
The free-to-use version of the music streaming service quickly became the default music provider for student house parties, summer barbecues and impromptu entertaining here in the UK, although it remains to be seen whether it will catch on stateside.
The launch over the pond is a major breakthrough for the Swedish based company, which also announced last week that it had reached 1.6 million European paying subscribers, an incredible surge from the 1 million claimed just four months ago.
Spotify recently came under fire for its decision to limit its 'open', non-paying listeners to a mere 5 plays per track and 10 hours streaming per month, although from a business viewpoint this kind of action was perhaps inevitable.
Perhaps the big winner in this controversial move to encourage current listeners to upgrade will be Grooveshark, the freemium browser based service that boasted an astonishing 35 million registered users in May 2011. With no limits to the number of plays per song, it is an attractive alternative for users disgruntled with Spotify's new policy, which also offers artist recommendations and unique, exclusive searching options.
The strongpoint of Spotify, though, is its integration with social media superpower Facebook. Users can import their friends straight over into the Spotify app and immediately start sharing playlists and notes, a more direct connection than Grooveshark and other competitors currently offer.
As we are witnessing with the voice and video calling tool Skype's still developing deal with Zuckerburg and co., having Facebook on board is a huge helping hand; Skype is set to gain 500+ million potential new customers! This move is part of Microsoft's acquisition of the world's biggest social media platform, and is a key weapon in its war with the world's wannabe biggest social media platform, newly launched Google+.
If social media industry leader Facebook feels the need to offer something new in the face of increased competition, perhaps Spotify will follow suit and up its game to retain its users in the wake of a potential decrease in listener numbers. But maybe Grooveshark will have to try and integrate itself more with social media platforms in order to win over ex-Spotify fans who pine for their in-built link to their Facebook contacts.
Whatever happens, there is the potential for big money in getting the online music streaming formula right, and the potential for lots of fun for us music lovers if someone manages to do it.
For now, enjoy Spotify, America... with your (promotional) unlimited plays and listening hours... Oh, how jealous we are!
Original blog available at ClareMackenzie.com