After a long wait, music streaming service Spotify has launched in New Zealand, offering unlimited access to a hefty 16 million tracks in either an ad-supported free mode, or via a monthly subscription.

The service will provide a major challenge for competitor Rdio, which launched here at the start of this year. Rdio doesn't have a free option, and is slightly more expensive for both basic and premium subscriptions.

As a way for users to get started, Spotify has put together a special ‘Kia Ora New Zealand' playlist, including tracks from new artists like Kimbra and Zowie as well as classic artists like Neil Finn and The Mockers.

CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek says Spotify offers everything a user could want from a music service.

"It's free, it's fast, it's easy to share, and with more than 16 million songs we have one of the biggest on-demand music libraries in the world.

As with Rdio, Spotify incorporates a significant social offering.

"Music is inherently social,” Ek says.

"That's why we built the best social features into Spotify for easy sharing and the ultimate in music discovery.

Mobility options are also available, including an offline mode, but only for premium subscribers, with both free users and basic subscribers limited to desktops.

The iOS app has already been criticised on the Apple app store for requiring users to log in through Facebook.

The company says it has deals with all four major labels as well as ‘a raft of independent labels'. An Australian launch has also taken place today.

Subscriptions are $7.49 for basic and $12.99 for premium - go here to give it a try.