Despite the name – ‘Spotify’ – this is internet Radio at its very best, but….
Right now, I’m listening to some old 1980s reggae just as the playlist swerves from Bob Marley into the Sex Pistols ‘C’mon Everybody’. This is what makes Spotify such instant fun.
It’s either a personalised radio station (click the mood you’re in and the decade you’re hankering after and let the software do the rest) or its a ‘search for artist / track’ player.
In the ‘oh, I’m feeling dark and punk circa. 1981′ mode, this is great for just creating a mood and putting tracks in front of you that you’ve probably never heard before. This is perfect for those of us who like the sound but can’t be bothered to get all worked up by the band names…
In the ‘search’ mode you’ll encounter the limitations soon enough – by failing to find the most well known tracks, tracks that are obviously still making someone else more money elsewhere. But as Spotify is supported by EMI, Universal, Warner, AMG and Orchard (among others) there’s plenty to choose from – particularly if, like me, most of it is still in the realm of ‘undiscovered treasure’.
With a few (relatively) unobtrusive audio and banner ads and options for premium accounts, this is the broadband jukebox for me.
So what’s the ‘…but’?
Well, Spotify is currently in ‘invitation-only Beta’ mode. This means that you can only get a free (ad-based) account through being invited by someone. Since (as far as I can see) a free account doesn’t give you any invitation tokens to throw around, I can only assume these come with paid membership.
A good marketing model? We’ll see. How much more likely am I to pay £9.99 for a monthly membership because it gives me free invites to give out? Time will tell.
Meantime, you can find out more (and register your interest) here.
Recent Comments