Spotify– Oh, it hits the spot!
Spotify – Review
I’ve been using Spotify for almost a month now, and I have to say I am completely blown away. I’ve used streaming services before, notably Mog, but I’ve never encountered an app that integrates so seamlessly with my desktop environment, recommends relevant music, and has absolutely no hiccups in playback.Spotify has been around since 2008, but it was, and still is country-restricted. On July 14th, 2011, Spotify opened it’s doors to the United States, and is now supported in the following countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, the US, France, Spain and the Netherlands.
So, what is this Spotify thing, and why should you care? Spotify is a completely legal music streaming service. The music catalogue boasts nearly 4 million tracks, and they are adding new tracks every day. Full albums, brand new releases, and much more, await you at the click of the mouse. Also, if you are in the mood to discover new artists and bands, the music discovery and similar artists (think Last.fm) features will help you discover new tracks, and albums. You can use the music discovery feature to surf through new, exciting, and relevant artists. If you want to hear music that is similar to a particular band or artist, just click the band name, then select similar artists and browse through the related artists till you find one that seems interesting.
If you want to listen to a specific album, just select the Artist you want to listen to, and every album that is released on Spotify, even compilation albums, will be waiting for your perusal. Spotify also saves your searches, so you can easily track what you have listened to, and allows you to recall old searches you may have forgotten about.
One feature that I really love is the offline playlist option. This allows you to sync the music to your computer so you can listen to it on the go, even if you are out of wireless range. Currently only Spotify Premium allows you to sync tracks for play in Offline Mode. If you are a Premium member you can listen to streaming and offline tracks on your mobile phone, mobile device, or computer.
Spotify does not feature a web app, so you must download and install the software for each computer you wish to use it on. This may seem like a drawback, but the application is very light, and everything on spotify is linked to your login, so you can access the same content and memberships from any computer. Your tracks, playlists, queque, friends lists, and all your other features, will be available on every device you activate spotify on, so there’s no need to transfer files, media, or continuously sync all devices. While a web app would be nice, the Spotify desktop app is very light and hasn’t shown any signs of hogging resources, or system slowdowns.
There are three different subscription plans, each with their own advantages, let’s take a look at the different options.
Spotify Free
- You must have an invite to use Spotify Free
- Millions of Tracks (same amount as Unlimited and Premium)
- You will be subjected to a few ads an hour (roughly one every 15 minutes)
- No official streaming cap has been imposed, but a set amount of hours per month will affect the Free accounts soon (per Spotify)
Spotify Unlimited
- No invite needed
- If you pay 4.99, and live in one of the approved countries, you will have instant access.
- No advertisements
- Unlimited Streaming
Spotify Premium
- No Ads
- Unlimited Streaming
- No invite needed, $9.99 a month
- Spotify on your mobile phone
- Offline Mode for Playlists (sync)
- Higher bitrate for tracks
- Exclusive albums that are unavailable on Unlimited and Free
One of Spotify’s most interesting features is it’s use of the cloud. All tracks live in the cloud, and are served directly to your desktop application, instantaneously, and with no wait times. If you have a decent connection you will not experience any buffering issues, or load times. Honestly, if you can put up with a few ads an hour, and are lucky enough to get an invite, the Free platform is probably your best bet. That is, until they implement the streaming/hour cap, then depending on your need, you may want to upgrade to the Unlimited plan.
Another great feature is that no matter what computer you are using, all your playlists will be readily available, as all you have to do is sign in with your login/pass and you’re good to go. Playlists are not stored locally, they are all in the cloud, which allows unsurpassed access. Spotify does cache some content onto your hard drive, in order to streamline the experience even further, and to enable seamless buffering. You can easily modify how many mbs, or gbs, you want cached by visiting your spotify preferences. Even though some content does cache for a limited period of time, Spotify truly lives and breathes in the cloud. Spotify offers Last.fm integration as well, which allows you to showcase the songs you are listening to, on your Last.fm profile. This is handy for the audiophiles who want to keep an accurate count of how many times they have listened to a certain track, artist, genre, etc.
Spotify has a few more nifty features that I think are important to note. If you decide to link your Facebook or Twitter account to the Spotify application, you will instantly be able to share your playlists with your friends. You will also be able to see their featured playlists, interests, and more. When you create a playlist you are given an HTTP link which you can share anywhere. The playlist can be accessed by any of your friends who use the Spotify service, and who have the link. This is a great way for you to woo your lover with some hand selected tracks, or diss your ex with some epic break up tunes.
The integrated search feature included in Spotify is robust and powerful. Simply type the name of the Artist, Track, or Album you want to listen to, and watch Spotify work its magic.
Let’s say you are a music nerd, as are a few of your friends, and you want to share and mutually curate a playlist…well, with Spotify it’s as simple as selecting “Collaborative Playlist” and now you can instantly collaborate on a playlist with your friends. You should note that anyone on your friends list can now collaborate on the playlist with you, so be careful! You may be inundated with Rick Astley tunes if you aren’t careful. That may make you wanna giveee up Spotify, not cool, would be a let down. (kudos if you get the song reference)
So, what about the streaming quality? If you are a free user you will be streaming music via the Ogg Vorbis Q5 codec (streams at a variable bit rate peaking at 160kbps), which is a great open source audio codec. If you are a premium user you will stream audio in 320kbps! For the audiophiles, 320kbps can make or break a good audio experience, so that’s another thing to consider when making your rate plan decision.
I honestly have loved my time with Spotify and am looking forward to discovering more new music, bands, and artists through this service. I hope you take the time to check it out, and please share your experience in the comment area, and let us know if you love it or hate it!
