Away from ad sales and carrier-billing partnerships, Spotify’s business model is to make itself available only via subscription on devices other than computers, on which people can choose between paid and limited free options.

In that regard, Spotify’s premium-only platforms are now…
—iPhone/iPod touch
—Android
—Symbian
—Sonos

The startup has bundled carrier-billed offerings available through…
—3 UK (mobile, computer)
—Telia & TeliaSonera (mobile, computer, TV)

Talk of a deal through a Chinese mobile carrier has gone quiet, along with the planned BlackBerry app, and the company has not yet announced hoped-for carriage through games consoles (the manufacturers’ roll-out of Zune on Xbox 360 and Qriocity on their own boxes poses a problem to Spotify). Basically, carriers and device makers alike are all keen on launching their own music services or adding rival partners.

Sonos devices are owned mostly by premium audiophiles (though Sonos won’t tell us how many) and Spotify won’t be alone on the players, which also offer access to a range of rival internet services including Last.fm, iTunes, Napster and eMusic.