All signs point to Aussie Spotify launch

Spotify looks all but ready to announce its entrance in the Australian music market after hiring a former Google executive as sales director for Australia and New Zealand, ahead of a global announcement scheduled for next week.

Kate Vale, formerly Google's head of Sales and Operations, is the first Australian employee of the UK-based streaming subscription music service, having left the internet giant in late 2010. Spotify confirmed Vales appointment in correspondence with Smart Startup, saying the company is looking to recruit further for Vale's team, but that it would not confirm an Australian launch for the service at this time. Spotify also told Smart Startup that the company's goal "is to be available in every country".

If Spotify does launch down under, it won't be the first service of its kind. Sony and Samsung have both launched all-you-can-eat music subscription services over the last 12 months, and Microsoft has recently launched its Zune Pass music service locally. Though the concept is the same across all of these offerings, there is a subtle difference between what is made available. Zune Pass has the most tracks available, with about 14 million songs in its library and all the services cost between AU$10 and AU$15 per month. Spotify has approximately 15 million tracks licensed in the UK, so it's in a good position to attract music lovers in Australia — this figure could change significantly based on local licensing agreements, however.

Unlike the other subscription services listed above, Spotify is the only true cross-platform service, with access available on either PC or Mac and with apps for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Symbian mobile platforms.