This is the least surprising carrier relationship Spotify will get (since 3’s owner Hutchison Whampoa is controlled by Spotify’s big private investor Li Ka-Ching), but will nevertheless serve to demonstrate the kind of bundling the music service wants to do…
Spotify will be delivered through the 3 mobile carrier in Britain. Details coming soon… The deal is attractive – ME: “Customers will pay £99 ($161) up front, and then £35 ($57) a month for 24 months for a tariff including a Spotify Premium subscription covering both PC and mobile, 750 minutes voice calls, unlimited texts, data and Skype-to-Skype calls.”
The deal, inked last week, is Spotify’s third bundling deal (an initial one with Norwegian ISP Bredbandsblaget has ended and one with Sweden telco Telia was announced this month), but comes as no surprise – Hutch has a place on Spotify’s board and hopes to roll the service out in Ka-Ching’s native China.
Spotify now has six million users, under 10 percent of them paying premium to remove ads and have mobile access. But the company really wants to be delivered through partners. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told a conference last week he wants to strike deals that take his service in to bundled mobile, broadband, TV and other services: “The key for us is getting music in to people