Spotify! (Not very interesting for non-Brits)

Halk · 02-26-2009, 06:39 PM

Spotify opened the doors for all of us Brits to sign up for free accounts.

This is the killer internet application thus far in the millenium.

A free-to-use streaming music application with a music library type interface, based on radio style advertising.

Essentially you install it and you then instantly* play any track from their library which is massive.

*it's actually streamed, but it's incredibly fast. I just skipped a track there and it took less than a second to play.

It's all encoded in 160 kilobit Vorbis, which is indeed lossy, but probably as high quality as lossy goes.

I'm posting this thread simply because if I didn't know about Spotify I'd want someone to stop me and tell me about it.

I believe this might be the end for both music piracy and music ownership. I just hope their revenue model works.

leandroide · 02-27-2009, 02:39 AM

Hi!

It is not only for Brits... I have been using it for a month, since I discovered it. I don't know exactly how restrictions on a country basis apply, but I think that only USA and Canada are excluded.

Its marvellous!! I don't know how a service like this will affect "legal" music, but I'm sure that it will decrease piracy!

Regards,

L.

Halk · 02-27-2009, 04:54 AM

There's about a dozen EU countries can use it if you have been sent an invite. The UK was picked as the first place people could sign up without an invite.

Sorry Americans, but at least us Brits get something first for a change

Sparrow · 02-27-2009, 05:32 AM

Thanks for the heads-up - it was new to me.

leandroide · 02-27-2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halk

There's about a dozen EU countries can use it if you have been sent an invite. The UK was picked as the first place people could sign up without an invite.

Sorry Americans, but at least us Brits get something first for a change

Let's finish this "I saw it first!" discussion! I registered without invitation, and I think that anybody (who can register, of course) can.
Here:
https://www.spotify.com/en/get-started/

Sorry Americans, but you will have to wait this time!
Sorry Brits, registring without invitation is not your privilege!

GeoffC · 02-27-2009, 10:01 AM

Think how good "spotify" for books would be .....

Maggie May · 02-27-2009, 10:57 AM

Hi Leandroide
I would love to register.
Would be very interested in knowing how you managed to register without an Invitation code.

Slan
Mag.

Moejoe · 02-27-2009, 02:46 PM

I tried it when it first came out (there was some loophole where you could sign up without an invitation code, can't remember just how). I was thoroughly underwhelmed by it. It's fine if you like a lot of popular music, but its sorely lacking on the alternative side. I seem to recall that 8 out of the 10 artists I keyed into it had no entries at all.

leandroide · 02-28-2009, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggie May

Hi Leandroide
I would love to register.
Would be very interested in knowing how you managed to register without an Invitation code.

Slan
Mag.

Hi!

I don't know... I just filled the data required to register and that's it. I didn't need an invitation.

Maybe there are some restrictions for your country....

L.

Donnageddon · 02-28-2009, 05:28 AM

Damn Brits! First "taxation without representation" and now this!

Sparrow · 02-28-2009, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

It's fine if you like a lot of popular music, but its sorely lacking on the alternative side. I seem to recall that 8 out of the 10 artists I keyed into it had no entries at all.

I imagine it will grow if it is successful.

Classical music seems pretty well represented - I was delighted to find Alan Hovhaness' 'Nocturne for Harp' - which I hadn't heard before.

(Although there's only one other Hovhaness piece at the moment - 'Mysterious Mountain')

Moejoe · 02-28-2009, 05:37 AM

I'm trying to recall what I searched for and I think, looking at my library of tunes, it would most likely be these artists:

Buffalo Daughter
Cornelius
Miho Hatori
Frank Black and the Catholics
Rollins Band
Black Flag
Guitar Vader
The Breeders
Sigur Ros
Takako Minekawa

I'm not sure how much its changed since launch, and I applaud the idea, but for me it's not that useable.

Halk · 02-28-2009, 02:08 PM

Buffalo Daughter - Nope
Cornelius - Yep
Miho Hatori - Nope
Frank Black and the Catholics - Nope
Rollins Band - Yep
Black Flag - Yep
Guitar Vader - Nope
The Breeders - Yep
Sigur Ros - Yep
Takako Minekawa - Nope

Where I've said no there may be a few tracks there, but it doesn't look like the full set of albums.

Where I've said yes it appears to be at least a few of their albums.

Apparently Spotify doubles their catalogue every few weeks as they sign more and more publishers. Apparently all the major labels are on board already. As it gains momentum I can't see any record labels not wanting to be on Spotify, so I guess it'll continue to add more. I did read somewhere that they have as many tracks as iTunes now.

They signed up a big classical music company and added 100K or 150K or something tracks a couple of weeks ago.

What impresses me is...

- The speed it streams at
- That they've not gone for a browser based client
- That the client is small and unobtrusive
- That there's no major record labels saying no
- Their revenue model

Those are all major pitfalls they have avoided.

What doesn't worry me, as I think it'll improve
- The client is basic.
- Not a lot of independent type stuff on there
- My media keyboard doesn't work properly with it

What does worry me

- Any artist or record label can pull the plug on their intellectual property at any point.
- Can their revenue model really work? I don't spend £10 a month on music at the moment, but I'd have no qualms paying them a tenner a month, since I'd instantly have a huge collection. But if it cuts into the pocket of the record companies then either the price goes up, or usability goes down, or things get intrusive with ads... or worse Spotify just curls up and dies.

Moejoe · 02-28-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halk

Buffalo Daughter - Nope
Cornelius - Yep
Miho Hatori - Nope
Frank Black and the Catholics - Nope
Rollins Band - Yep
Black Flag - Yep
Guitar Vader - Nope
The Breeders - Yep
Sigur Ros - Yep
Takako Minekawa - Nope

Where I've said no there may be a few tracks there, but it doesn't look like the full set of albums.

Where I've said yes it appears to be at least a few of their albums.

Apparently Spotify doubles their catalogue every few weeks as they sign more and more publishers. Apparently all the major labels are on board already. As it gains momentum I can't see any record labels not wanting to be on Spotify, so I guess it'll continue to add more. I did read somewhere that they have as many tracks as iTunes now.

They signed up a big classical music company and added 100K or 150K or something tracks a couple of weeks ago.

What impresses me is...

- The speed it streams at
- That they've not gone for a browser based client
- That the client is small and unobtrusive
- That there's no major record labels saying no
- Their revenue model

Those are all major pitfalls they have avoided.

What doesn't worry me, as I think it'll improve
- The client is basic.
- Not a lot of independent type stuff on there
- My media keyboard doesn't work properly with it

What does worry me

- Any artist or record label can pull the plug on their intellectual property at any point.
- Can their revenue model really work? I don't spend £10 a month on music at the moment, but I'd have no qualms paying them a tenner a month, since I'd instantly have a huge collection. But if it cuts into the pocket of the record companies then either the price goes up, or usability goes down, or things get intrusive with ads... or worse Spotify just curls up and dies.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great application for the casual listener (my sister uses it all the time as she only listens to the occasional track and doesn't mind the ad-breaks). But for a more eclectic selection, even with the added music every couple of months, it's not that great. I usually import my music on CD anyway and rip it directly to the HD, plus I get to support some great independent labels and artists in the process

zelda_pinwheel · 03-01-2009, 02:46 PM

have you guys heard of deezer ? it seems pretty similar, but no invite needed.

02-26-2009, 06:39 PM	#1
Halk Fanatic Posts: 538 Karma: 469999 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Sony PRS-650 (PRS+ alpha - thanks Kartu!)	Spotify! (Not very interesting for non-Brits) Spotify opened the doors for all of us Brits to sign up for free accounts. This is the killer internet application thus far in the millenium. A free-to-use streaming music application with a music library type interface, based on radio style advertising. Essentially you install it and you then instantly* play any track from their library which is massive. *it's actually streamed, but it's incredibly fast. I just skipped a track there and it took less than a second to play. It's all encoded in 160 kilobit Vorbis, which is indeed lossy, but probably as high quality as lossy goes. I'm posting this thread simply because if I didn't know about Spotify I'd want someone to stop me and tell me about it. I believe this might be the end for both music piracy and music ownership. I just hope their revenue model works.

02-27-2009, 10:57 AM	#7
Maggie May Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,907 Karma: 87755439 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ireland Device: CYbook Gen3 and Sony PRS 3505 Kindle 3 G Nexus 7 iPad	Hi Leandroide I would love to register. Would be very interested in knowing how you managed to register without an Invitation code. Slan Mag. Last edited by Maggie May; 02-27-2009 at 11:01 AM.

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02-27-2009, 02:39 AM	#2
leandroide Zealot Posts: 144 Karma: 92 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Vigo, Spain Device: Papyre 6.1 (Hanlin V3)	Hi! It is not only for Brits... I have been using it for a month, since I discovered it. I don't know exactly how restrictions on a country basis apply, but I think that only USA and Canada are excluded. Its marvellous!! I don't know how a service like this will affect "legal" music, but I'm sure that it will decrease piracy! Regards, L.

02-27-2009, 04:54 AM	#3
Halk Fanatic Posts: 538 Karma: 469999 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Sony PRS-650 (PRS+ alpha - thanks Kartu!)	There's about a dozen EU countries can use it if you have been sent an invite. The UK was picked as the first place people could sign up without an invite. Sorry Americans, but at least us Brits get something first for a change

02-27-2009, 05:32 AM	#4
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	Thanks for the heads-up - it was new to me.

02-27-2009, 10:01 AM	#6
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	Think how good "spotify" for books would be .....

02-27-2009, 02:46 PM	#8
Moejoe Banned Posts: 5,100 Karma: 72193 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: South of the Border Device: Coffin	I tried it when it first came out (there was some loophole where you could sign up without an invitation code, can't remember just how). I was thoroughly underwhelmed by it. It's fine if you like a lot of popular music, but its sorely lacking on the alternative side. I seem to recall that 8 out of the 10 artists I keyed into it had no entries at all.

02-28-2009, 05:28 AM	#10
Donnageddon Now you lishen here... Posts: 2,494 Karma: 479498 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Seattle-ish Device: Sony PRS-650. Kobo Touch, Kindle Fire	Damn Brits! First "taxation without representation" and now this!

02-28-2009, 05:37 AM	#12
Moejoe Banned Posts: 5,100 Karma: 72193 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: South of the Border Device: Coffin	I'm trying to recall what I searched for and I think, looking at my library of tunes, it would most likely be these artists: Buffalo Daughter Cornelius Miho Hatori Frank Black and the Catholics Rollins Band Black Flag Guitar Vader The Breeders Sigur Ros Takako Minekawa I'm not sure how much its changed since launch, and I applaud the idea, but for me it's not that useable.

02-28-2009, 02:08 PM	#13
Halk Fanatic Posts: 538 Karma: 469999 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Sony PRS-650 (PRS+ alpha - thanks Kartu!)	Buffalo Daughter - Nope Cornelius - Yep Miho Hatori - Nope Frank Black and the Catholics - Nope Rollins Band - Yep Black Flag - Yep Guitar Vader - Nope The Breeders - Yep Sigur Ros - Yep Takako Minekawa - Nope Where I've said no there may be a few tracks there, but it doesn't look like the full set of albums. Where I've said yes it appears to be at least a few of their albums. Apparently Spotify doubles their catalogue every few weeks as they sign more and more publishers. Apparently all the major labels are on board already. As it gains momentum I can't see any record labels not wanting to be on Spotify, so I guess it'll continue to add more. I did read somewhere that they have as many tracks as iTunes now. They signed up a big classical music company and added 100K or 150K or something tracks a couple of weeks ago. What impresses me is... - The speed it streams at - That they've not gone for a browser based client - That the client is small and unobtrusive - That there's no major record labels saying no - Their revenue model Those are all major pitfalls they have avoided. What doesn't worry me, as I think it'll improve - The client is basic. - Not a lot of independent type stuff on there - My media keyboard doesn't work properly with it What does worry me - Any artist or record label can pull the plug on their intellectual property at any point. - Can their revenue model really work? I don't spend £10 a month on music at the moment, but I'd have no qualms paying them a tenner a month, since I'd instantly have a huge collection. But if it cuts into the pocket of the record companies then either the price goes up, or usability goes down, or things get intrusive with ads... or worse Spotify just curls up and dies.

03-01-2009, 02:46 PM	#15
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	have you guys heard of deezer ? it seems pretty similar, but no invite needed.