When Spotify launched three and a half weeks ago we wondered if it could compete with the already saturated American cloud-music scene. Well the numbers are in and it looks like the Swedish-based company is off to a promising start, reports AllThingsD's Peter Kafka. "The streaming music service has already signed up 1.4 million U.S. users for its free trial, according to a source familiar with the company's operations." Spotify also has 175,000 paying U.S. subscribers, reports Kafka, which is perhaps an even more telling number. It's still early to tell if Spotify will overtake the American music scene, but as an early indicator, the numbers are promising.

Spotify has already surpassed competitors MOG and Rdio, who have yet to reach 100,000 users after a year on the market, reports SlashGear's Riu Lue. Compared to the leading service Rhapsody, which has 800,000 paying subscribers, that 175,000 number seems small. But, as GeekWire's Todd Bishop points out, Rhapsody has time on its side. "Rhapsody has been operating in the U.S. for years, previously as part of RealNetworks. Spotify has been here for less than a month." You also have to take into account that Spotify has run an invite-only launch.

Read the full story at The Atlantic Wire.