Spotify plotting US launch to compete with Apple's iTunes

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 44
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by technohermit View Post


    Aww man, you know how to make it rain on parade day.



    LOL, sorry, but it's best that you hear it now rather than keep your hopes up for the whole year only to be disappointed. You will have to be apart of the subscription service anyway to use the iPhone app. I had your same thinking a year ago.



    We can only hope that it happens but I'd recommend Rhapsody in the mean time. Chances are it will cost the same as Spotify in the US and allows local caching of songs as well. It's not as quick as Spotify on the desktop and iPhone but it offers many of the same features. Chances are also that there will be no free ad-based version of Spotify on the desktop when it comes here, if ever.
  • Reply 22 of 44
    kiweekiwee Posts: 102member
    Spotify gets good deals with record companies because... Drumroll.. Record companies own 10 percent of the company. If not more. Cant remember.

    Artists hate spotify because they get paid pretty much nothing. Its like 000.1 cent per song played.



    Recordlabels see it more as promotion.

    But for users its pretty good.

    You have to pay to be able to use it on your iPhone. Subscription.

    I use it alot.

    But then again i'm Swedish and Spotify is Ã* Swedish company.
  • Reply 23 of 44
    jbro1999jbro1999 Posts: 38member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kiwee View Post


    ....Its like 000.1 cent per song played..







    least its better than 00000000.1 cent per song.
  • Reply 24 of 44
    mr underhillmr underhill Posts: 678member
    Have been using Spotify for the last 6 mths and very pleased with it. Like other posters i have never used or bought a music track from iTunes since.



    You guys in the US will enjoy using it.



    Apple will eventually kill it off though when they finally get around to the streaming model as it'll not just be music on offer, it'll be the whole kit and caboodle.
  • Reply 25 of 44
    palegolaspalegolas Posts: 1,361member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    "But no one has figured out how to rent music at a price that satisfies consumers, the labels and the music services. At least not on a large scale."



    Spotify has done it...

    But he forgot one thing. The Artists! The deal has to be good for the Artists. Without them, there wouldn't be any iTunes, Spotify or whatever. So it's really not very cool of Spotify to go and make music free. It's not like the artist gets any more money when their album is interrupted by a commercial. It's just not right.



    Apple is in a real special position here. They don't really have to get paid for the music... They just need to cover server and system costs as long as they sell enough iPhones and iPods. So if there is someone who could host a great low price rental service, that is reasonable for the artists - it's Apple.
  • Reply 26 of 44
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    Artists are getting abused again.



    When are they going to realize that the music industry is about lining executive pockets not creatives.
  • Reply 27 of 44
    ilogicilogic Posts: 298member
    Vision: Spotify becomes the "iTunes for Android Handsets"
  • Reply 28 of 44
    berksdanberksdan Posts: 2member
    I started using Spotify about a 18 months ago and haven't use iTunes since. Ok. I lie. I had a few albums that weren't available on Spotify, so I had to use iTunes for them, but with the new update to Spotify, I've been able to import all the unavailable albums into Spotify, meaning I don't think I'll ever need to use iTunes again. I upgraded to Premium about 8 months ago.



    To answer a few of your questions ...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mark2005 View Post


    Does Spotify restrict its users to one device? (or one device at any given moment in time?)



    I've got Spotify Premium on my MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iPhone. The Premium service works on all three, but I can only stream music on one at a time. When I start streaming on a second client, music on the first client will stop. That said, I can download songs to any of the clients and then disconnect them from the internet, allowing me to stream music from one client and play local music on another.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mark2005 View Post


    Does Spotify play ads when you stream your own (purchased) music to your devices?



    I'm not 100% sure what you're asking here ... my sister uses Spotify on her Windows PC, but hasn't got Premium, so she has to listen to adverts every now and again. That said, she's got a load of local songs imported into the library and when she listens to them, she doesn't get any adverts.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mark2005 View Post


    Does Spotify restrict the streaming of your own music to your devices to only those who have a paid $15 subscription?



    Not sure what you're asking here :S
  • Reply 29 of 44
    str1f3str1f3 Posts: 573member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by palegolas View Post


    Spotify has done it...



    Apple is in a real special position here. They don't really have to get paid for the music... They just need to cover server and system costs as long as they sell enough iPhones and iPods. So if there is someone who could host a great low price rental service, that is reasonable for the artists - it's Apple.



    Spotify hasn't done it. It hasn't been available in the US for a reason. The reason is that the profits haven't been enough to circumvent the current system. They will not release a desktop version that is ad-based.



    Apple is having trouble right now because the industry resents them for allowing the downloading of singles as opposed to whole albums. They're losing money but truthfully it's because of the quality of music they're promoting.



    As to your last sentence, Google could do the same and possibly better since they have more experience in the cloud. They don't care about hardware sales as long as people can use their product and gathering as much information on them as possible.
  • Reply 30 of 44
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    Apple should have bought spotify.



    This is good news, always nice to have more choices for music, especially if these guys are DRM free. Now we have Amazon and iTunes, if spotify is any good (and it looks like it is) we will have three good sources of music and (hopefully) a cheaper price per track.
  • Reply 31 of 44
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by sheff View Post


    Apple should have bought spotify.



    This is good news, always nice to have more choices for music, especially if these guys are DRM free. Now we have Amazon and iTunes, if spotify is any good (and it looks like it is) we will have three good sources of music and (hopefully) a cheaper price per track.



    http://www.macworld.co.uk/business/n...s&newsid=26830



    Am sure Apple would love to buy Spotify, but as explined here the record compaies own a chunk - they would never sell. Record companies - understandably- want a world that they control not apple.



    Like the others who have actually used Spotify I hardly ever turn on itunes anymore.
  • Reply 32 of 44
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WilliamG View Post


    You don't have to believe anything. It is perfectly OK to think different.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by WilliamG View Post


    C'mon. There are plenty of other areas. For example, Apple has no search capabilities.



    Why are you so negative, so anti-Apple, in every one of your posts?



    It must stink to inhabit your world.



    Go on, get out, get a life. Seriously.
  • Reply 33 of 44
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jbro1999 View Post


    least its better than 00000000.1 cent per song.



    Post of the day.
  • Reply 34 of 44
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    I talked about it to a bunch of friends, they now all use it. I've been paying a subscription fee for the past year and love it; 15? (10$) for unlimited music, that's great!
  • Reply 35 of 44
    successsuccess Posts: 1,040member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by technohermit View Post


    Spotify rocks. Can't wait until they get here. Not allowed to buy from them because I live in NY. The service is excellent, like Pandora yet so much more useful.



    Yay!



    I agree. When I saw it I was impressed. However I won't touch anything if I don't own the music. Why don't we own the music? Also can we choose 320 kbps? I don't touch anything that isn't 320 kbps. None of this godawful 192kbps crap.
  • Reply 36 of 44
    scotty321scotty321 Posts: 313member
    Spotify is awesome. I use it.
  • Reply 37 of 44
    bartfatbartfat Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by success View Post


    Also can we choose 320 kbps? I don't touch anything that isn't 320 kbps. None of this godawful 192kbps crap.



    Guess you wouldn't be satisfied by "CD quality" 128 kbps
  • Reply 38 of 44
    macologistmacologist Posts: 264member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by palegolas View Post


    Spotify has done it...

    But he forgot one thing. The Artists! The deal has to be good for the Artists. Without them, there wouldn't be any iTunes, Spotify or whatever. So it's really not very cool of Spotify to go and make music free. It's not like the artist gets any more money when their album is interrupted by a commercial. It's just not right.



    Screw the artists again!?!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post


    Artists are getting abused again.



    When are they going to realize that the music industry is about lining executive pockets not creatives.



    Screw the artists again!?! See these 2 great articles:



    http://bit.ly/aQUM6g & http://bit.ly/o0wQ5



    Between the hardware makers and online music services, nobody is talking about the artists, and how they are getting screwed from all sides! Without the artists there won't be any music! They can't give their work away endlessly, and, if they don't get paid somehow, how are they to produce their music?! It's a catch 22....
  • Reply 39 of 44
    lostkiwilostkiwi Posts: 639member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by success View Post


    I agree. When I saw it I was impressed. However I won't touch anything if I don't own the music. Why don't we own the music? Also can we choose 320 kbps? I don't touch anything that isn't 320 kbps. None of this godawful 192kbps crap.



    If you pay for the premium version, you get a higher bit rate.
  • Reply 40 of 44
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    Not sure about the subs model or even streaming (does Spotify do video?) but one thing's for sure. Apple needs to add iTunes media to the MobileMe cloud for streaming/peer-syncing pronto. The whole non-wireless iTunes sync and having to dock iPods/Phones/Pads physically with a machine is a total nonsense.



    McD
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