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Microsoft looks to hit the Spotify

Redmond announces Spotify will be on Windows Phone 7 and Windows Mobile 6 as well as for the desktop. The music service is still not in the U.S. though.

Ina Fried Former Staff writer, CNET News
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
Ina Fried

Microsoft said today that popular European music service Spotify will be coming to Windows Phone 7, as well as Microsoft's older Windows Mobile 6 generation phones.

The move gives Microsoft another music partner as it prepares to launch Windows Phone 7. Start-up Soundtrackr also is readying a Windows Phone 7 application, but, as first reported by CNET, Pandora won't have a Windows Phone 7 app at launch, despite a full-court press from Microsoft's top executives.

"Spotify is a great example of software innovation emanating from Sweden and Europe," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement. "We're very glad to work in collaboration with Spotify to deliver a high quality, outstanding consumer experience on the Windows platform with Windows 7 and Windows Phone."

Spotify's service allows music streaming in several European countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom) but is not available in the U.S.. It has benefited from strong word-of-mouth promotion, including high praise from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

"Spotify is so good," Zuckerberg wrote on his Facebook page last year.

Spotify posted this video about its app for Windows Mobile 6: