Spotify is already a popular streaming music service in Europe and the UK, but there are plans to expand and grow massively over the next year. Not only does Spotify aim to launch the service in the United States, it’s also working on mobile versions, including an iPhone app, and much more besides.

After discovering Spotify in January, and reviewing it after a few days of continual use, I have used the streaming music service almost exclusively throughout 2009. With millions of songs available at the click of a mouse, and very little delay in streaming whole songs, the service is almost perfect for me. And I’m not alone.

Last month saw Spotify boast of securing its 1 millionth British user, not bad for a service available for just a few months in a country with a population of just 60 million. At the same time, Paul Brown, the new managing director of Spotify UK, spelled out how the company plans to grow by offering a number of extras to those who pay for the premium model (subscription with no ads).

According to BBC News, Spotify founder Daniel Ek recently spoke at The Great Escape music conference in Brighton, and added some details to those vague promises of expansion.

Most importantly, at least for those people living in the U.S. and unable to currently use Spotify, Ek promised a move into new territories soon, saying, “My hope and ambition is that we’ll see something at the end of the year, maybe the beginning of next year, in the US.” So, no firm timeline but a promise that the company hasn’t forgotten about the biggest consumer market in the world.

Ek also spoke about the work being done on mobile versions of the application. It’s already known that Spotify is working on an iPhone app, which I suggested could be a rival to iTunes in the end, but the Apple device isn’t the only one being targeted. Ek said, “We want to be everywhere. We won’t only do one device.” However, it’s likely these mobile versions will only be available to paid subscribers, with Ek stating, “That’s definitely something we think is a premium product that people are willing to pay for – being able to bring the music with you or being able to have it working on your stereo.”

And that’s just one of a number of extras which look like being only available to subscribers soon. There’s also a Facebook app on the way, promises of better sound quality, pre-release streaming, and more. All of which will likely increase the percentage of Spotify users choosing to pay the monthly asking price of £9.99 ($15) rather than stick with the free, ad-supported version.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 8:31 pm under Media players, Music, Opinion, Technology.

Read more entries by Dave Parrack.
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