We’ve talked about how awesome Spotify is time and time again in that it’s business model has the potential to be a game changer in the streaming music business. And yet a solid 1-2 years after the original plan to move stateside was made public, we’re still left wondering when Spotify will actually launch.
Currently Spotify won’t even offer up any specific date other than “this year”. Despite success in Europe, the jump across the pond has been far from pleasant. Music labels haven’t warmed up to Spotify’s freemium model. They think it isn’t profitable. To a degree their concerns are valid. In 2009 Spotify had operating losses of £16.40 million and a net loss of £16.66 million.
So where does that leave us? Well besides the obvious of Spotify-less, not too bad actually. In 2009, Spotify’s business model and service was unheard of in the U.S. which aided to it’s image. Two years later, however, there are numerous services very similar to Spotify with some even venturing into the offline playlist support that Spotify holds near and dear.
While Spotify’s initial “Wow” factor may have worn off some as the market has progressed around it, we’re still hopeful that Spotify can appease the so called “gate keepers” of the U.S. music industry so that we consumers can finally enjoy what we’ve been asking for for years. But we have to wonder — How long can Spotify keep teasing us (the U.S. market) before we stop caring?
