Spotify?

[doyama]

So Spotify is in the USA now I guess? Seems to have been a Euro only thing for awhile but now us Yanks can apparently get in on the action.

So how is this different than Pandora?

 

[Hakoda]

This would grab more attention in the Books, Music, TV & Movies section. Mod move it, por favor?

Anyway, that's a very interesting question. When you compare the free version of Spotify with Pandora they don't seem all that different. However I've never used either of them extensively so I really wouldn't know.

Spotify sounds like something really really cool. I just wish I didn't have to pay $10 to get it running on my iPod Touch. I wouldn't mind if there were ads in the app as well if they could link it with my free account (which I don't actually have an invite to yet).

And to clarify, Spotify is basically a service in which you pay a down payment ever month (there's also the free version with ads) and you basically own all of the music in the industry. Sorta. You have the ability to stream and listen to any song, anytime. You never actually have the individual file on your computer unless you pay for offline listening. Am I right so far?

This sounds like the amazing alternative to iTunes and Amazon Music; there's no cloud storage because everyone gets access to the same streaming server.

Anyone have an invite yet? I've requested but I'm still waiting.

EDIT: We don't get unlimited streaming with the free version? How many songs do we get, what's the limit? UK users help out here?

 

[doyama]

Hehe I keep forgetting we have that section. Probably best if this as moved there but no biggie.

I guess I was just looking for some objective reviews about it. I'm waiting for an invite too. Not sure if it's worth the 5-10 a month tho.

 

[Hakoda]

It sounds an awful lot like Napster.

Also they really should add more features to the Unlimited plan. I would at least add the ability to stream from the internet on a mobile device.

EDIT: So apparently the free version is limited to 20 hours of listening.

 

[Serina]

I'm rocking out with Grooveshark, personally. I've been a long-time user of it and I actually managed to lock in a $3 a month price for life for listening over the net, on any smartphone (jailbroken iPhone currently) and for 'offline listening' on that iPhone. I'm pretty much set, so (though I've heard that Spotify is the absolute shizzle) I'm not all that interested.

(Grooveshark is about $9 a month for the general public now, I think)

 

[xist]

EDIT: We don't get unlimited streaming with the free version? How many songs do we get, what's the limit? UK users help out here?

According to the UK Help -

QUOTEAbout the upcoming changes to Spotify Free/Open

What will happen and when?

Putting limits on the free service was the best option to ensure that we could continue to deliver a free on demand service. We remain committed to ensuring that everyone can listen to, discover, share and manage their music legally in the long term.

Here’s how the changes will work:

* As of May 1st, any user who created their account on or before November 1st 2010 will be able to play each track for free up to a total of 5 times. Users who signed up after the beginning of November will see these changes applied 6 months after the time they set up their Spotify account.
* Additionally, total listening time for free users will be limited to 10 hours per month after the first 6 months. That’s equivalent to around 200 tracks or 20 albums.
* New Spotify users will be able to enjoy our unrivalled free service as it is today for the first 6 months.

If you are affected by these limits, we hope you try our 7-day free trial for Spotify Premium. You might also consider Spotify Unlimited service for £4.99 / €4.99 / 49 NOK per month. This will give you unlimited, ad-free streaming access to the whole Spotify catalogue for your country.

 

[doyama]

10 hours a month? That's pretty limiting considering I leave Pandora on constantly at work.

 

[Slyakin]

So... what are the benefits of this...

Over torrents?

 

[Terminator02]

So... what are the benefits of this...

Over torrents?

legality, streaming over mobile

 

[doyama]

So apparently you get 20 hours of free music with the normal version.... Not sure if that's per month or what. It's just what my counter says.

I guess it might be useful to search for new music here... then just put the artist in Pandora to actually listen to stuff? I'm somewhat not seeing the value considering Spotify coming to the US was being hyped as the second coming of Jesus right after the Rapture.

 

[evandixon]

Seems like an inferior version of Zune Pass or Rhapsody.

 

[Hakoda]

Seems like an inferior version of Zune Pass or Rhapsody.

It's more like Napster because with Zune Pass & Rhapsody you actually own digital copies of the song, don't you? With Napster & Spotify, you can only stream and thus you never are in ownership of the content.

 

[Serina]

10 hours a month? That's pretty limiting considering I leave Pandora on constantly at work.

Isn't pandora like 20 hours a month? or was it 40?

 

[purplesludge]

10 hours a month? That's pretty limiting considering I leave Pandora on constantly at work.

Isn't pandora like 20 hours a month? or was it 40?

Pandora is 40 and spotify doesn't seem that special. Streaming over mobile can be done by google music.

 

[Technik]

It's legal, theres no 10 hr limit in america, and they have pretty much any song you can throw at them thats not the beatles.

 

[doyama]

It's legal, theres no 10 hr limit in america, and they have pretty much any song you can throw at them thats not the beatles.

It's not 10 hours but it appears to be 20 hours. At least according to the counter at the top of the Spotify application I'm running.