About Spotify
For the last couple of months I’ve been using the Beta version of Spotify, a superb new music platform with a very impressive looking business model and more promise than anything I’ve seen for ages.
What’s great about Spotify, apart from the neat client and simplicity of the service, is that it provides the first compelling alternative I’ve seen to getting your licks via illegal p2p and Usenet downloads. In fact, since having my beta account, I don’t think I’ve downloaded one track from anywhere else.
Spotify is different because you don’t actually download anything mind you. It’s a streaming only approach to music listening, and while at first I thought it would be crippled by not having real MP3s I could put on my Ipod, that feeling was quickly overtaken by a realisation of just how long every day I spend somewhere near a PC and with access of my spotify account.
Although not all of the content that Spotify plans to add to the service is available yet, the depth of content is already amazing. Whether I’m in metalhead, leftfield techno, aggrotech or plain old pop mood, Spotify has plenty of artists to suit. And not just the odd song, but whole discographies, along with biographies and album art.
The best bit about spotify though is how well it works in the office. My cellmate Rich, who I share many hours and musical tastes with, can add to the teams shared playlist in realtime. When he finds something that makes him go bosh and he knows will have the same effect on me, he’ll IM me a Spotify link and within seconds I can be boshing along. Everyone on the Products pod is using Spotify now, and I’m certain when the trial become open to all, the whole business is gonna see a hike in bandwidth utilisation. It’s a good job we work at a well connected ISP…
Although at the moment the Spotify Beta is free and has no ads, the service will be ad funded with all the content available, but broken up by a few minutes of genre based or other targetted ads every hour. I hope the adverts won’t be too obtrusive, although as much as it pains my freetard side, I think I’ll be paying for a premium subscription if they are. Eitherway, after many years of only listening to music I’ve downloaded ‘illegally’, I’ll be back on the straight and narrow with a massive library of music at my fingertips and Rich guiding me to another great tune on Spotify.
Want to hear the Products Team’s Greatest Hits? Get a Spotify invite and try this.
I don’t really know what we have to wait from Spotify, since websites like http://www.deezer.com/en already offer free and legal music-on-demand, on a veeeery vast catalogue! What else?
Well, just for the sake of a rather unscientific test to compare, I searched for what I was listening too when I read your comment - Combichrist.
Deezer has 29 Combichrist tracks of which 6 are remixes. That is still very good mind you.
However, Spotify has 63 tracks, including 4 full albums and one EP. Which is absolutely mind blowing.
Ian
Hi Ian. I have just found out about Spotify, and it seems nice!, you don´t have an invite?
Regards
Not at the mo Daniel, but I will happily let you have the next one.
I have an invite left over, if you’re interested. E-mail me at philip dot lindborg at gmail dot com.
Anymore invites yet Ian?
Sent - I’ve got plenty spare now.
Hi Ian,
Can You Spare me an invite?
Will appreciate it.
THanks
Sent mate.
Thanks Ian
Hey Ian, could I please get an invite. I’d very much appreciate it. A lot of my friends have it, and they tell me I’m really missing out.
Hey! You’re actually giving out spare invites? I didn’t think there was anyone that generous left.. I’d really appreciate one sent my way. I really want to check this stuff out and see if it’s really that good..
been searching around for an invite, friend is making DJ software for spotify and wants me to beta test but he has no spare invite …
if youve got any spare i`d really appreciate it ..
If you can send me one please i will be more than happy
Hello!
Would be very interested in checking this out. I have heard alot of buzz on the internet and everything sounds great! Used to be a DJ back in the 90’s and still love my music!
Would very much appreciate an invite! Thanks for your consideration!
Wow, this seems like a great idea!
Is it possible to have an invite Ian?
Cheers,
David
If you still have an invite remaining I would be very grateful.
thanx!
gandalf8500(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Ian,
I came to know Spotify from my friends. It looks like a great music jukebox.
I wonder if you still have any spare Spotify invite? I would really appreciate it if you could send me one.
Thank you!
Best Regards,
Carlos
wow! sounds amazing. I would love an invite if there is any spare. thanks.
hello it seems that spotify is very intresting and nice site can i have an invite to it?
thanks in advance
Can i have one invite please ? I heard many great things about this place but finding an invite seems imposible to me
Wow - That’s more requests than I have invites chaps, but I will try and send some out to you for sure. If Spotify are lovely enough to give me more I’ll pass them on too.
I do want to keep a few invites back for friends and family though.
Ian
Hello.
I’d love an invite if you manage to get anymore. Seems like it’s turning into the most popular place on the internet and I’d love to be part of that!
Thanks
Ryan
Thanks alot Ian! This is great, only been on 2 seconds and im amazed at how easy it is to use and seeing as it streams how little net traffic it takes up :O
Yeah, I couldn’t agree more.
So, here’s the challenge for anyone else that wants an invite.
Help me by telling me :
1. Whether you would buy a service like this through your ISP / Internet Subscription, and what would make you do that.
2. Do you see the need to pay for it ever, or are the advertising supported versions good enough?
I’ll use the last few I have remaining for any helpful answers.
Ian
Well i got one off you already but yes, i could see myself paying for this and similar services quite happily, the ad supported version maybe great but it would be nice to be one of the people helping to support it.
Hi Ian,
I heard about spotify and I would really like to join there. Unfortunately I’ve noticed it’s invite only.
You (or anybody else here) wouldn’t have a spare invite available wouldn’t you. I’d really appreciate it … thanks in advance.
My email is gonzoforlife ‘at’ gmail ‘dot’ com
Hey guys,
I’ve heard a lot about spotify these last few days and from what I’ve heard its pretty awesome. I was hoping someone could spare an invite for me.
I’d really appreciate it. Thanks
hey Ian–
I’d really like to check out Spotify, and would appreciate an invite if you get more
I can definitely see myself paying for a service like Spotify in the future…although if I pay for it I’d like the ad’s to disappear. I think an ad-funded version is a great idea to introduce people to a new-style service like this, and is a good tool to encourage subscriptions
Hey mate, I guess I should join in the bandwagon too, Spotify sounds/looks great, this idea of free, lossless streaming music seems amazing — free music has won the war (war last!). Hope you see this, cheers!
And sorry, I thought I included this, but yes I would pay for this through my ISP if I had to, I’m all for legal music and the such, and I assume that the free version would be fine, but need be I can also pay for the premium! Cheers!
Hello there ,
Well I’m a music addict , I’ve heard a lot about spotify , lots of my friends are already members and they seem to love it , so I would like to ask for an invite , I’d appreciate having one , thanks . bye
Hi Ian,
Please see my response below:
1. Whether you would buy a service like this through your ISP / Internet Subscription, and what would make you do that.
Carlos - My friend showed me how Spotify worked. It’s like a music jukebox where you can search and listen to any high-quality songs using any internet connection instantly. Playlist was a great feature too. Furthermore, I don’t like to store all the songs in my local hard disk. It is so hard to maintain them. So if my ISP/Internet subscription offered somethng similar, I wouldn’t mind paying for it.
2. Do you see the need to pay for it ever, or are the advertising supported versions good enough?
Carlos - I’m not entirely sure about what unique features premium service offers apart from being ad-free. If just the ad-free is the difference, I will go for the advertising supported version instead.
Hope you can consider me for the Spotify invite. Thank you very much!.
Cheers,
Carlos
Hi, I would love to get a chance to try this out so if there are any invites left I would be grateful to get one.
Ian, i dont think i would buy a service like this for one reason and that is that i am a broke college student lol
i dont see the need to pay for this service as i fine with using the advertising version.
i would love to have an invite if you have any spare ones.
Thanks in advance
guys I heard about some amazing improvements about spotify, am mostly using http://www.seeqpod.com/ as stream music source but depends on news spotify made HQ Music Stream Service. I would like to get in if you send me an invitation apreaciate that….. can be premium user of spotify in the future
thanks in advance