More on Spotify US launch, expected in early July:
http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2011/06/the_800lb_goril_1.php
― Lee626, Saturday, 18 June 2011 04:17 (twelve years ago) link
this is great news, here are some more details and a better article:http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-spotify-20110618,0,80370.story
Although the stepped-up competition will make things harder for Spotify, the company is still expected to attract millions of users in the U.S. — largely because it gives new users free, unlimited access to any song from a catalog of about 13 million titles for six months. After that, users are capped at 10 hours of listening a month and a maximum of five plays for any single track. The limits are designed to encourage users to pay a monthly fee for the all-you-can-listen buffet.Most subscription music services in this country allow only a few days or weeks for a free trial period. After that, most charge $5 to $15 a month for on-demand access to music.But there are other ways consumers can listen to music. Personalized Internet radio services such as Pandora and Slacker have become increasingly popular. Although users can't choose exactly which song or album they get to hear next, they're able to tune in for free. Pandora has 34 million users who have tuned in to its service at least once in the last month. Slacker has more than 5 million active listeners."About 80% of all music consumption is radio," said Tim Westergren, a Pandora founder. "Spotify operates in that 20% category."
Most subscription music services in this country allow only a few days or weeks for a free trial period. After that, most charge $5 to $15 a month for on-demand access to music.
But there are other ways consumers can listen to music. Personalized Internet radio services such as Pandora and Slacker have become increasingly popular. Although users can't choose exactly which song or album they get to hear next, they're able to tune in for free. Pandora has 34 million users who have tuned in to its service at least once in the last month. Slacker has more than 5 million active listeners.
"About 80% of all music consumption is radio," said Tim Westergren, a Pandora founder. "Spotify operates in that 20% category."
― Bee OK, Saturday, 18 June 2011 04:32 (twelve years ago) link
MOG is going to have a hard time competing against this.
― akm, Saturday, 18 June 2011 14:42 (twelve years ago) link
poor mog
http://images.harpercollins.co.uk/hcwebimages/HCCOVERS/017700/017732-FC222.jpg
― i love the smell of facepalm in the morning (ledge), Sunday, 19 June 2011 08:59 (twelve years ago) link
Happy days, all Kate Bush's albums are now available. Don't know if they're remastered as it says 2011, will have to do some investigating.
― Cluster the boots (Billy Dods), Monday, 20 June 2011 05:37 (twelve years ago) link
I might finally listen to Lionheart, omg.
Once Spotify has its iPhone app up and running in the US I'd expect it to clean up.
― Matt DC, Monday, 20 June 2011 08:57 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.spotify.com/int/coming-to-the-us/
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 July 2011 17:44 (twelve years ago) link
Signed up for an invite already :)
― Tired of these edcuated basic bitches. (lilsoulbrother), Thursday, 7 July 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/07/spotify-buttons-up-deals-with-warner-launches-music-service-in-the-us-.html
Spotify, a popular European music service with ambitions to dominate the U.S. digital music market, said it has buttoned up the necessary licenses with major record labels to launch its service in America on Thursday...
Spotify's offerings will be largely similar to what it has in Europe, namely a free service supported by advertising and two premium tiers that let users listen without ads on computers and on mobile devices.
The free tier will let new users listen to the company's catalog of more than 15 million songs from a computer connection for six months. After that, users will be capped at 10 hours a month and up to five spins for any particular song.
"You can still discover as much music as you want up to your heart’s content" even with the limits, said Ken Parks, Spotify's chief content officer and managing director of the company's North American business.
Subscribers who pay $4.99 a month can access the service without ads or limitations from a computer connection. A $9.99 tier also lets users listen to the service from a smart phone such as an iPhone, Android, Palm or Windows 7 device.
― Bee OK, Thursday, 14 July 2011 03:52 (twelve years ago) link
Yep it's official - US launch is today at 8:00am EST. $9.99 tier will also have higher bit rates.
― Lee626, Thursday, 14 July 2011 03:59 (twelve years ago) link
Hopefully they have similar track selection to the UK and an identical policy about using abroad. I've been using the UK version in the US, but would be happy to switch from paying in £s to $s.
― toby, Thursday, 14 July 2011 10:56 (twelve years ago) link
Interested. I still can't stand the name or look of it. I suppose I should judge by the catalog but if the experience doesn't appeal to me, I'll bail. Good thing you can try it for free.
― Mount Cleaners, Thursday, 14 July 2011 12:43 (twelve years ago) link
can't recommend it enough. it's changed the way people listen to music over here much more than anything like Napster or any P2P thing or whatever and in many different ways that i would never have imagined when it launched.
― piscesx, Thursday, 14 July 2011 13:24 (twelve years ago) link
listening to gold cobra as my inaugural stream
― ILX Point Never (diamonddave85), Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:40 (twelve years ago) link
current users can invite ppl, right? that's what CNN claims
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
xpost -- Read that as 'inaugural steam'
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:43 (twelve years ago) link
― piscesx, Thursday, 14 July 2011 13:24 (1 hour ago) Bookmark
i feel like this is hyperbole tbh
― thomp, Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:45 (twelve years ago) link
Nope, it's perfectly true.
xxxpost If this is true then if anyone wants an invite drop me a line at billy (dot) dods (at) gmail.com and I'll try to help.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:50 (twelve years ago) link
Happy to send invites to people if you give me yr email, dunno if my UK invites will work for you though
ha xp
― dog latrine (NickB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 14:50 (twelve years ago) link
hmm the UK invite didn't get me into the free tier so I created a pay account anyway, lol
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:09 (twelve years ago) link
was gonna advise you skip the free stage anyway. get it on your iphone and never look back.
― Upt0eleven, Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
It's worth it imo, the free 10 hours just whizzes by
― dog latrine (NickB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
Ed, check your email again.
― The multi-talented F.R. David (Billy Dods), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
no but seriously, an entire generation already stopped buying cds
technologies that had more impact, probably in order:
the ipod; youtube; itunes; first-and-second-gen p2p
― thomp, Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
I'm in thx mang
― duke of irl (Edward III), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:25 (twelve years ago) link
spotify is on the same importance level as those things imo, and it beats them all from a useability pov
― Dear Projectionist (blueski), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:26 (twelve years ago) link
At least for now, you can get an invite just by giving Spotify your email address (which I did earlier when they were advertising the impending US launch) but I still haven't heard from them. Do they respond faster if the invite comes from a current Spotify user, and can that be from someone in the UK/Europe?
― Lee626, Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:42 (twelve years ago) link
try this link https://www.spotify.com/redirect/get-open/rec-en/
― ILX Point Never (diamonddave85), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:47 (twelve years ago) link
spotify at least changed the way people dj at parties
― sonderangerbot, Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:50 (twelve years ago) link
I think the only way you can in right now is if a current user sends you an invitation code/token
not sure of the cross-continent invites?
― duke of irl (Edward III), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
my cross-continent invite had no token in it, but that's okay because I = $$$$$
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 15:55 (twelve years ago) link
holy hell, one of my college choirs is on Spotify back when I was in it
http://open.spotify.com/album/7zlm5UZLKrrZDEkyZsGSds
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:06 (twelve years ago) link
xxxp yeah the djing at parties thing is key; any home with a laptop or PC now has an instant mahoosive record collection. the idea that previously at a house party with no official DJ, people just randomly played records or CDs or ipods or their own mp3s or whatever suddenly, recently started to seem a very old fashioned concept indeed. making a playlist in advance that people can then edit/add *almost anything they want to* just seems like the best thing ever.
― piscesx, Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:19 (twelve years ago) link
oh wait I guess billy's in the UK so intercontinental invites work
― duke of irl (Edward III), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:26 (twelve years ago) link
I've been anticipating this for a few years. I keep putting my e-mail in the pool but nothing has come up yet.
― Breezy Summer Jam (MintIce), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:31 (twelve years ago) link
still waiting for this to launch in Ireland
― Volvo Twilight (p-dog), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:49 (twelve years ago) link
banished by st patrick iirc
― dog latrine (NickB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:52 (twelve years ago) link
lol
― Volvo Twilight (p-dog), Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:53 (twelve years ago) link
So I'm guessing by being away from internet all morning means I'm already too late to get an invite?
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:24 (twelve years ago) link
Well, so far, I like google+ a whole lot more than Spotify because, well, I can actually fucking use it.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:45 (twelve years ago) link
jon try the link i posted upthread
― ILX Point Never (diamonddave85), Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:47 (twelve years ago) link
Thanks, I'll give that a shot, looks promising!
I'm 99% sure I'm going to end up paying for this, but I want to give it a test run first before I decide to do so.
― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:51 (twelve years ago) link
don't bother, it's only $5 for the lower tier
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:52 (twelve years ago) link
― Bee OK, Wednesday, July 13, 2011 11:52 PM Bookmark
So let me get this straight -- I pay $10 a month and I can listen to whatever the fuck I want as much as I want?
― relentlessly googling hipster (Hurting 2), Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:58 (twelve years ago) link
you can that with the $5 subscription too
― dog latrine (NickB), Thursday, 14 July 2011 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
$10 adds "on whatever you want"
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
* head tries to explode but is too confused to explode *
― relentlessly googling hipster (Hurting 2), Thursday, 14 July 2011 19:03 (twelve years ago) link
So why does Pandora even exist, exactly?
What's the selection going to be like in the US -- are there lots of limitations?
― relentlessly googling hipster (Hurting 2), Thursday, 14 July 2011 19:04 (twelve years ago) link
because you couldn't get Spotify in the US until today
re: selection, I couldn't find "Hot With Fleas" by Severed Heads on it; so far that has been my only disappointment
― HOOBASTANK is my co-pilot (DJP), Thursday, 14 July 2011 19:04 (twelve years ago) link