Spotify (finally) launched today (7/14) in the U.S. with three different options for users. The first is a free version called "Spotify Free" which requires an invitation to join. I requested an invitation and am awaiting a response. Once you get in users can listen to music on their computers, but not mobile devices, and there will be advertisements integrated into the program. The second version is a $5 a month subscription plan which allows users to listen on their computers with no advertisements. And the third and final version is a $10 a month subscription plan that allows users to listen to high quality music on their computers and mobile phones, also with no advertisements.
For more info: see http://venturebeat.com/2011/07/14/spotify-launches-in-u-s-users-can-wait-for-invite-or-pay-to-get-inside/
After playing around with Spotify Free over the weekend I came out impressed but quickly found that the pay to play motto still stood true. Spotify Free provides you with 20 hours of free listening with advertisements as well as a cap of only being able to listen to a particular song 5 times a month. Probably the biggest thing Spotify has for it right now is its catalogue. I first went through the Top Tracks list under What’s New and was able to find almost all of ITunes’ top singles (I used the preview option on Itunes for songs I wasn’t familiar with so I didn’t waste one of my five listens for the month). I then decided to make a playlist which was extremely easy and all it required was to simply drag the song into the playlist of my choice.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was done playing around with the content and playlists I decided to get a little more adventurous and test out the free Spotify app for my Ipod. I downloaded the app and signed into my Spotify account. When I was navigating the Ipod app I was very surprised to see the playlists I had made moments before already on my Ipod. This was possible because my computer and Ipod were connected to the same wireless network. But this is where I found the Spotify Free really limited. While it showed all the songs on each of my playlists on my Ipod, each one was a light grey color and when I clicked on them I got a notice stating that this content was only available to Premium subscribers. This was a huge disappointment as I am always on the go and the ability to have the newest music at my fingertips was very appealing. But while the $9.99 subscription fee per month to have the unlimited ability to stream on a computer as well as the mobile content is not an exorbitant amount, I am just not willing to shell out the cash when I have free options available. Also available on Spotify as premium content is an offline mode. The $9.99 subscription fee gives you the ability to choose playlists and songs that you want to listen to and by clicking “Make available in offline mode” you do not have to have an internet connection to listen. Essentially this gives you the ability to have an unlimited music library in the palm of your hands even without an internet connection.
Spotify free is great for the casual listener who wants a large catalogue of all different kinds of music, but be warned, the 20 hours of listening time may creep up quickly. Spotify’s real appeal comes at the steep price of $9.99 a month, with its impressive use of current technology. In today’s growing market for smart phones, the seamless integration with Apple’s IPod and IPhone really seems to put the Premium Spotify subscription above and beyond, it’s just a matter of whether you are willing to pay for it without actually owning the music.