Spotify has enlisted the help of four big brands to get the word out about its Canadian launch.
Starting Thursday, Diet Coke, Heineken, Subway Canada and TD will be sharing early access codes for the music streaming service with their followers on social media. Spotify also tapped Toronto’s North By North East festival for the initiative.
Spotify soft-launched in Canada late last month six years after it was introduced in Europe. The company has been sending select consumers access codes as it builds buzz for a full rollout that’s expected later this fall.
Unlike some of its competitors, Spotify is ad-supported – consumers will hear ads between blocks of songs unless they sign up for a paid account. The well-known service will face plenty of competition in Canada, including music streaming services like Rdio, the Google-owned Songza and Deezer.
The brand name Spotify will certainly work in its favour as the company tackles the Canadian market. It gained huge popularity in Europe for its massive catalogue and ease of use. It became coveted by consumers in other markets frustrated with piecemeal solutions to music streaming.
It struggled to enter the American market, in part due to negotiations with record companies, but that only contributed to the allure of the Spotify brand. Before its 2011 launch in the U.S., Spotify had already been branded “The coolest music service you can’t use,” by Wired. Three years later, it’s safe to say many Canadian consumers feel the same.
Details on the full rollout are scarce, but the brand has brought on High Road Communications to handle PR for the launch and a rep said more information would be available in the coming weeks.
Pictured: The Spotify House at South By South West 2013, a branded experience that included Spotify-sponsored performances by acts like Kendrick Lamar
