TORONTO - Online music streaming service Spotify has officially arrived in Canada -- some six years after it was launched by a Swedish entrepreneur in 2008.
Spotify popularized the idea of granting Internet users legal access to a huge catalogue of music to stream without having to buy songs or albums a la carte.
Users can pay a monthly fee for a premium all-access account or sign up for a limited ad-supported service for free.
Spotify had indicated in 2009 that it was looking to move into Canada within months but never did until now.
Andres Sehr, Spotify's marketing director, wouldn't say why it took so long for the service to launch here.
Spotify says it is the largest on-demand music streaming service with 40 million active users -- including 10 million paying subscribers.
It boasts a catalogue of more than 20-million songs.
A number of competitors offering virtually the same service have launched in Canada in recent years, including Deezer, Rara, Rdio, Slacker and Google Play Music.
