Spotify, the popular European-based streaming music service, will finally launch in the US soon if the latest Internet rumors are to be believed. According to a story on the Noisecast web site, it learned from an unnamed "executive of a major record label" that Spotify will launch sometime between July 5 to July 15. The story also states that Spotify might be launched at first as an invite only service and that it will cost $10 a month to use it.
Based in Sweden and launched in 2008, Spotify has about 10 million members with 1 million paid members in the European countries where it operates (Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the UK). It runs on a number of PC and wireless phone operating systems. Apparently the service was supposed to be launched here in the US by the end of 2010 but delays in record publisher approvals have delayed the launch. If a fixed date for Spotify"s US debut has been made it likely means that the music approval process has been completed or is close to being done.
Spotify has to deal with a number of well established music streaming services here in the US. They include Pandora which launched its public offering earlier this month. Of course all of these rumors come as Apple is about to launch its next version of iTunes that will allow people to listen to their music via streaming Internet connections via iCloud. That is expected to launch later in 2011.