Ooh, Spotify, you get more handsome every time we see you. It wasn’t enough to announce plans to launch in the US, or the upcoming Android and iPhone apps, was it? Now you’ve gone and filled in a ton of gaps in your catalogue with a brand-new distribution deal.
The Stockholm-based music streaming service just announced a deal with IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance. IODA brokers agreements for independent labels and artists and helps them out with marketing and distribution. The Spotify/IODA deal brings 2 million new indie tracks – meaning you’ll now be able to stream The Prodigy, Bob Marley, Bashy and Stephen Fry. IODA’s international partners, including Bonnier Amigo Music Group, are on board too.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek explains the motivation behind the new agreement: “One of the challenges all music services face is providing a wide range of music for users of all conceivable tastes. We’ve worked hard to add classical, punk and indie content from different sources and this deal with IODA is another leap forward in our mission to provide users with the biggest, most diverse musical catalogue on the planet.”
“Spotify has created a compelling product that redefines the notion of user-friendly and clearly speaks to the desires of the music fan,” said IODA’s CEO, Kevin Arnold.
This is great news for indie music lovers, and – at least on the face of it – yet another threat to iTunes although it’s common knowledge that Apple doesn’t make a great deal out of music so much as it does selling the hardware in the first place. It’ll be interesting to see how all this plays out: although Spotify plans to launch in the US before the end of the year, there’s the small matter of Microsoft’s upcoming music streaming service to factor in…
They well deserved every award they got. Awesome company.
When are they going to launch in the US… “Before the end of the year” is vague. It was a wonderful service until they blocked it from here… Hurry up spotify!
I read somewhere that it could be as soons as the beginning of Q4.
I’ll join spotify when the beatles join spotify.
Looks like Apple has a worthy opponent. Though I do agree that it hasn’t been making any waves lately. Looking forward to spotify.
http://AppUseful.com
Hi Milo,
as noticed here: http://uk.techcrunch.com/2009/02/23/the-day-itunes-died-spotify-is-working-on-a-killer-iphone-app/ also a Symbian app is in the making
So in other words, it’s a threat to Apple, not to iTunes. Will be very interested to see how they handle the iPhone app submission.
In theory, if hardware is the main focus for Apple it should pass through no problem. Allowing Android to have a competitive advantage like that would be foolish.
But the problem is that the whole market penetration of the iPod, and halo effect Apple received as a result, was built around the closed system that iTunes helped provide. Opening up their system to Spotify reduces them, in part, to a device manufacturer.
That said, closed systems like that blow, so I couldn’t care less what they do. I’m just glad there’s finally something out there which challenges it as an option.
“small matter” about microsoft’s recent announcement is prob dead-on. those guys haven’t exactly had the best track record when it comes to the music space.
microsoft sees the music streaming space as attractive, but why would they want to compete with all the momentum spotify currently has?
Can’t wait til it hits the US!
also, very interested to see US reception. despite CBS acquisition in may ‘07, last.fm has yet to really catch on in the states.
i feel spotify would need to replace youtube as the default music streaming resource. any opinions?
So have spotify figured out the whole revenue>cost conundrum that seems hard in the the social network space but even harder in the online music streaming area because from what ive read uptake on the subscription side has not been as hot as planned for spotify. I think a 360 approach from a business model view is where spotify need to go to pay those penny stream rates!
i’d love to see these articles you’ve come across about user conversion to spotify subscription. i wouldn’t doubt it one bit, but it’d be interesting to see those numbers.
Wow, gives indie artists a huge tool to market. Definitely waiting to download the Iphone app.
all the comments are “pro” spotify, when Pandora just kicks ass; and i’m a real artist, real independent; i will not be on spot-fck.
Independent artist like me, are making our own distribution system; umakeitcool.com
all u tech fck want is free, and want to use us, screw u.
oh yeah, european and indians suck at making any service; look at their history in software.
USA bitches.
LOL, seems that even the independent 24/7 blowing hippies with a guitar and a dog have found TechCrunch.
Welcome bro!
“oh yeah, european and indians suck at making any service; look at their history in software.”
We made the www, it really sucks doesnt it. Go back to using BBS or Gopher!
Pandora really sucks in comparison with Spotify!
Spotify has been like crack for me. I like Pandora, Last.fm and Lala.com but Spotify is really blowing me away. I can’t stop searching for all the stuff I’ve been wanting to audition. I have probably a week’s worth of listening stored up.