Spotify has launched in Canada five years after the European subscription music service signaled a jump into the market.
The Swedish company, founded by Daniel Ek in 2006, on Tuesday started streaming tunes to Canadians on mobile, tablet and desktop platforms. Spotify finally sorted out song licensing in Canada with local music labels and publishers long after rivals like Songza, Jango, Rdio and Slacker set up shop.
The much-hyped music service launched in the U.S. in 2011. Canadians can now use Spotify for free with commercials between songs, or upgrade to Spotify Premium for $10 a month to access ad-free music listening and higher-quality audio streams.
The online music service added Canadian musical artists to its 20-million-song catalogue, especially from French-speaking Quebec. “Spotify is launching in Canada with a comprehensive catalogue featuring the best local music from every genre, region and generation,” said Ken Parks, chief content officer at Spotify, in a statement on Tuesday.
