Spotify Announces New Plans, Still No US Launch Date

Spotify, the European music streaming service is adding some new plans, as it launches into a new country.  Unfortunately for Americans, that country is the Netherlands.  The plans, however, might be another indication that the service is looking into the US market.

The new plans are called Spotify Unlimited and Spotify Open.  Spotify Unlimited will cost users £5, or the equivalent thereof, for unlimited, ad-free streaming to a single computer, not unlike how MOG works for US customers.  Spotify Open doesn’t need any payment or even credit card information.  It includes 20 hours of listening per month to anyone that lives within a country that supports Spotify {Spotify}.

The problem with Spotify, for would-be American users is that despite constant promises from Spotify and it’s purchase of US servers in March, there is still no planned launch date.  We’ve already gone through a few this year alone ranging from “early 2010” to “Spring,” “Q3” and the latest “before the end of the year” {Wired}.  As Wired points out the new plans are similar to the sort of deals that the RIAA approves for other services such as MOG.  Meanwhile, MOG is working on a mobile app that could possibly be similar to Spotify, Rhapsody continues it’s service, and rumors are flying of Apple announcing an iTunes streaming service sometime soon {Gizmodo}.

If Spotify fails to get in the US market soon and either MOG or Apple come out with high-quality mobile apps that do the same thing, the chance could be easily lost.  Despite it’s social features, Spotify likely can’t win unless it has a presence before Apple expands their iTunes offerings.