Spotify, the music streaming Internet phenomenon, has announced its first major push into the mobile space by launching versions of its software for Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android platform. The Spotify App for the App Store – launched today –  is available to Spotify Premium subscribers in the UK, Sweden, Spain, France, Norway and Finland.  In a statement, Spotify said that the Android version (also available from today via the ‘Android Market’ store) will be offered exclusively to Spotify Premium members in the “majority” of its launch countries including the UK, Sweden, Spain, France and Norway – but not in Finland. “This is a hugely significant day in Spotify’s short history,” said Gustav Söderström, director of portable solutions at Spotify. “Since our launch last October, we’ve worked hard to provide our users with a high quality service that gives them access to whatever music they want, whenever they want it.” Spotify’s premium service costs £9.99 per month in the UK.

The application offers an array of features on both platforms, including access to millions of tracks via Spotify’s constantly updated catalogue; the ability to create playlists and synchronise with a desktop; and downloadable playlists for use in offline mode. The Android version also allows users to continue to run Spotify in the background while making calls, browsing the web etc. The version of Spotify for the App Store is seen as significant as it could be positioned as an alternative to Apple’s market-leading iTunes music store, which features on the iPhone and iPod.