Although streaming music service Spotify remains unavailable in the U.S., the company’s CEO Daniel Ek is still wildly optimistic about the future of music on the web.
Speaking at All Things Digital’s D: Dive Into Mobile conference on Tuesday in San Francisco, Ek said that he thinks “music on the web will probably surpass the popularity of photos.”
That is, of course, after (and if) all of the hurdles that have kept Spotify limited to Europe thus far are overcome. Ek wouldn’t commit to a U.S. launch this year, adding that the labels – thus far unwilling to make deals with Spotify in the U.S. – are still “trying to get their heads around the space,” when asked about the issue by RealNetworks founder Rob Glaser, a veteran of the online music business in attendance. Earlier this year, Ek projected a Q3 2010 launch in the U.S.
Part of the hold up, it would seem, is that Ek remains highly committed to Spotify’s model, which includes unlimited free streaming among other freemium options, saying that Spotify "would not just launch a subscription service." In other words, it would seem Ek is not willing to make significant changes to Spotify’s service in order to appease record labels in the U.S.