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Spotify has 250,000 paying U.S. subscribers, report says

The music service is growing quite rapidly in the U.S. since it launched over the summer, due in large part to Facebook.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
2 min read

Spotify's music-streaming service has proven quite popular in the U.S., Reuters reported yesterday.

According to the news service, citing sources, Spotify now has 250,000 U.S. subscribers that are paying for access to its service. That claim, which Spotify has not confirmed, follows comments made by the company's CEO Daniel Ek last month, who said that the number of total paid subscribers worldwide is now over 2 million.

Spotify launched in the U.S. in July. And although users can sign up for free, those who pay for Spotify Unlimited at $4.99 a month will not need to listen to advertising. Spotify Premium, which comes in at $9.99 per month, adds the ability to play local files on a mobile device and an offline mode, among many other benefits.

A key component in Spotify's growth in popularity has been Facebook. Last month at the F8 Conference, Facebook announced that Spotify's music-streaming service would be available to the social network's users. The move has been a boon for Spotify, which according to information on Facebook, is being used by nearly 7 million people on the social network. Other music services, like Rdio and MOG, are also available to Facebook users, but they have a smaller presence on the social network.

Spotify's success in the U.S. follows a similarly strong showing in Europe. In March, Spotify said that it reached 1 million paying subscribers and 10 million registered users across that continent.

Spotify did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on Reuters' report.