Google to pay for US Spotify users, $3-$4 each?

According to TechCrunch, Google offered to cover the $3-$4 per user cost to integrate Spotify, the hugely popular music service, into Android 2.1. Spotify has been absent in the US market pending talks with the big music labels. Google hopes the create an iTunes alternative in Spotify.

TechCrunch goes on to mention,

“the two companies sketched out a plan where Spotify’s excellent Android application would be build into the 2.1 version of Android and would launch in the U.S. with the Google Nexus One phone on January 5.”

The music labels are moving away from a free sample in order to hopefully gain album sales. Spotify insists on free music for their listeners. We don’t see the labels changing their mind and Spotify seems set in their ways. It isn’t clear that Spotify would set precedent with Google by allowing them to pay for music. Surely, European labels would be looking for some kind of payment as well.

Google has announced an Android event January 5. We’ll know then what is really going on.

Read: [TechCrunch]