Spotify boss: 'Fans don't need CDs'

The chief executive of streaming music service Spotify has claimed that fans no longer care about physically owning music.

Founder Daniel Elk told The Times that the only thing new music lovers are concerned about is the availability of songs.

Elk said: "We think that music has gone from being about ownership to being about access.

"They don't care so much anymore about actually owning physical CDs, or even downloading, they care about being able to access whatever they want, whenever they want it, wherever they are."

Singer Jamie Cullum said: "Piracy is never a good thing, but for too long we've tried to stop it rather than recognise that it happens and then find a way to deal with it."

Spotify allows free streaming of music interrupted with a 15-second commercial every half-hour, or advert-free tunes for a £9.99 monthly subscription.

U2 recently started streaming their upcoming No Line On The Horizon album on Spotify as well as their own MySpace page.