FEATURED: Apple: “Spotify for iPhone Has Been Approved” [IT'S OUT! - Sky News Interview CEO Daniel Ek]

Posted on August 27th, 2009. Written by Arron.

[Update] Mon 7th Sep @ 2.50AM – It’s OUT!

Rejoice! After what seems like forever, Spotify for iPhone is now available on the App Store. In order to use the app, you will however need a premium subscription of £9.99/mth. £119.88 a year.

Spotify is currently only available in the UK, Sweden, France, Spain, Norway and Finland.

[Update] Wed 2nd Sep @ 20.26PM – Release September 10th? [FALSE]

BFG’s Blog, who also claim to have had the ‘confirmation’ that Spotify for iPhone was indeed approved by Apple, before anyone else, has today stated that the same source has confirmed that the release date of Spotify for iPhone is September 10th 2009. Next Thursday.

“Anyway – the same source has told me to expect it in the app store from Next Thursday – 10th September.”

- Source

While we can’t confirm this for ourselves, we really hope this is true. If it is, don’t you think it’s slightly coincidental that the rumored date falls just one day after Apple’s September 9th media event?

[Update] Mon 31st Aug @ 17.43PM – Delay Due to Back-End Work?

Yesterday, the CEO of Spotify, Daniel Ek suggested via his Twitter stream that their app had been delayed due to wanting to ensure they provide a great service.

“Hold out people. The response has been enormous. We just want to make sure to deliver a great service.”

Shortly after that, Spotify employee littke posted a comment on the official blog article about the app, stating ..

“Thanks for all the feedback!

We’re working hard on the final touches of the mobile backend to make sure you all get a great service – the response has indeed been massive and we’re really glad for your patience.”

- Source

In a response to one of his followers, Daniel then today posted a second tweet which confirmed the firm was working on their back-end systems, in order to cope with the massive user base they’re expecting, once the app hits.

“@danwtmoon I’m sorry if that’s how you feel. We like the app to be as great as it can be. We’re just building up our infrastructure.”

With the app delay pretty much confirmed due to back-end work still needing to be done, the question is: When will we see Spotify for iPhone?

[Update] Mon 31st Aug @ 17.32PM – Spotify Breaks Silence

On Friday, Spotify broke the silence, repeating what we all knew was true. Apple has given the application a huge thumbs up.

The post also stated what I and others thought. The app will retain it’s offline playlist functionality, despite previous App Store rejection policies coming into effect on other applications of this nature.

The reason? – Apple will apparently take a 30% cut from each annual subscription Spotify manages to secure Spotify’s overall iPhone revenue.

“We’re now thrilled to let you know that the lovely people at Apple have given our mobile app a big thumbs up, meaning that our Premium subscribers in the UK, Sweden, France, Spain, Norway and Finland will be able to download Spotify for free from the App Store soon.”

- Source

What IS Spotify?

Spotify is a proprietary peer-to-peer music streaming service that allows instant listening to specific tracks or albums with almost no buffering delay. Music can be browsed by artists, albums or created playlists as well as by direct searches. Although, due to the system’s DRM, it is not possible to save the streamed music for use outside the application; a link is provided to allow the listener to directly purchase the material via partner retailers.

The service in its free version is only available in parts of western Europe during the on-going beta programme although the subscription model should be available in almost all countries.

The Journey

When Spotify announced back in July that it had developed a client for the Apple iPhone, I along with most if not all of the current Spotify user base went berserk. Here was an application which if Apple was to let it through onto the store as intended (with all functionality in tact), would revolutionize the App Store’s policies (God only knows, they need it!).

It all started with a demo video posted to video sharing site YouTube by Spotify themselves (also seen below). Later an official announcement came telling the world, Spotify was in fact on it’s way to the iPhone.

But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Sure, the twitterverse didn’t waste any time in ensuring the word got out that the service was on the way to the device, and that the application was submitted, but after that – Nothing. Both Apple and Spotify went hush on the submission.

There was one obvious reason for this.

Both Spotify and Apple knew that Spotify would be seen as direct competition to Apple’s baby – iTunes. There was no getting round this fact. With a premium Spotify subscription, the service allows you to listen to tracks, freely, from a catalog spanning nearly 6M+ tracks. Not only that, but the iPhone application (if approved) proposed that the user would also be allowed to ‘save’ playlists for offline viewing – essentially making the very fabric of iTunes redundant.

Do I think the version that Apple has approved still has this functionality? Absolutely. In an exclusive interview with WIRED Magazine, Jim Butcher, Spotify’s communications manager explained that Apple is going to take a cut of Spotify’s overall iPhone-related revenue, and that this would hopefully allow the Spotify iPhone app to retain offline playlist functionality.

See it in Action

Approval

According to Paid Content UK, Apple has today broken the long and painful silence on the application’s submission status, quoting an Apple representative as saying:

“The current status as of right now is it’s been approved and we hope to add the app to the more than 65,000 apps on the app store very soon. We’ve been in constant communication working with the developer and have already notified Spotify that the app will be in the app store very soon.”

Finally, some concrete evidence of the application’s status in Apple’s “hell-hole” of an approval process. In order to use the iPhone application, you will however need a subscription which start as low as 99p for a day’s listening, and run all the way up to the annual subscription of £9.99/mth.

There you have it. Spotify for iPhone will be available in the App Store shortly. As a massive Spotify user – along with everyone else – I just cannot wait for this to hit. We’ll have more for you when the application does hit, including a full review. For now, rest assured. It’s on it’s way.