(More) Free Music

The free music streaming service that has a library containing over ten millions songs already enjoyed by Europeans is still in negotiations with record companies but hopes to break into America in 2010. “A decade after Shawn Fanning unleashed Napster, 26-year-old Daniel Ek is generating tidal waves across Europe with Spotify, a company that offers upward of 10 million songs, streamed free over the Internet. The difference this time is that Spotify is a legal service, sanctioned by the music industry — to a degree. Ek, Spotify’s chief executive, had hoped to launch his service in the U.S. early this year. But he acknowledged that talks with record labels, along with thousands of music publishers and royalty collectors, had bogged down over details. Ek cited the complexity of dealing with numerous rights holders for the delay. Some music executives have questioned whether Spotify’s free, ad-supported service will help the beleaguered industry regain its economic footing. They worry that it could further erode the market for paid music.”