( CNN ) -- The hottest music venue in Europe opened its doors on Thursday morning to a select group in the United States . Spotify , which makes Internet music-streaming software , launched the much-hyped U.S. version of its service after delays and years of negotiation . At first , Spotify will only accept new members to its free service who receive invitations from the company , one of its sponsors or a current user . `` This is the biggest market in the world , '' Kenneth Parks , Spotify 's content chief , said in an interview late Wednesday . `` We have n't done a launch this large . '' Google+ , the new social network , also launched recently using an invite-only scheme . Spotify plans to welcome everyone for free after `` several weeks , '' Parks said . The Spotify computer program will let people choose from any of 15 million songs to hear for free -- up to 10 hours per month , with each track listenable up to five times . For the first six months , however , people who enter during the invitation period are exempt from the monthly limit , Parks said . After that , users can lift the restrictions by paying $ 5 a month or buying songs individually , like iTunes . The smartphone apps can be accessed for $ 10 a month , which includes unlimited streaming and the ability to save copy-protected music for listening offline . The ability to create and share playlists with Facebook friends has formed a beehive mix-tape culture among the more than 10 million users in Europe . From a small office in Stockholm , Sweden , Spotify quickly spread its tentacles across Europe . But during the past couple of years , the company has been caught in a web of bureaucracy . Record-label executives have expressed concern that Spotify 's free offering devalues music and does n't drum up significant revenue . `` They wanted to be careful , '' Parks said . `` Spotify has always had a view that the free experience was core to what Spotify was all about and key to get users to invest in the service . '' Spotify CEO Daniel Ek echoed that belief at a technology conference in December , as he has in several public appearances before that and likely will again at Fortune 's Brainstorm Tech conference next week . `` We really believe in our model , '' Ek said at the D : Dive into Mobile conference last year . `` We would not just launch a subscription model , because we do n't think that 's going to work . '' Now , the four major labels and Spotify have finally settled their disputes . In the time since , the record companies have given the go-ahead to competing digital music initiatives such as Rdio , MOG and , most recently , Apple 's iTunes Match . `` We think there 's definitely room and appetite for a service like Spotify , '' Parks said . `` There really is nothing like it in the market . ''
NEW : Spotify launches in the U.S. on Thursday morning . The music-streaming service has been wildly popular in Europe . It 's taken awhile for Spotify to debut in U.S. because of concerns from record labels .