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iTunes challenger Spotify comes to US, issues invites

Our overseas readers are aware of Spotify, a popular online music service which lets them stream over thirteen million tracks to their computers for free or upgrade to a paid account for ad-free, higher-quality music and access to Spotify on the go on the iPhone, Android and other mobile platforms. Up until now, the arrival of Spotify to the United States has been marred by complicating licensing arrangements with labels, strong competition and the likes of Apple, Google and Amazon derailing Spotify’s US plans.

The Swedish startup confirmed the news on its web site:

The award-winning music service that’s taken Europe by storm will soon be landing on US shores. Millions of tracks ready to play instantly, on your computer and your phone.

They did not yet publish specifics about the pricing, terms of service or the size of their US music catalog, but you’ll know when we know. This will be huge. For the first time ever, iTunes will be under tremendous pressure to come out with a subscription-based music service because Spotify lets you stream music on an unlimited basis for a single-digit monthly fee, it’s in the cloud and available to any connected device and you can even mark songs for offline access.

Invites here.

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