*** Text below was written mid-2011 and song count and statistics is higher today ***
Spotify launched in 2008 and wowed Europe. Now available in the US. Spotify is an application which lets you stream music on your computer or mobile phone, with a 15 million songs strong library. You don't buy any songs, with a subscription you stream them all.
Info
Subscription models
Further comparison at http://www.spotify.com/us/get-spotify/overview/
With an invitation code you'll get the Free package, which has ads. In Europe a big limitation kicks in 6 months after your registration, seems same for the US.
Mobile app
Playlists
Gaming soundtracks
Spotify Versus...
Q&A
Now let's share Playlists and keep track of future albums releases! I'll let MThanded start it off from the old thread:
Spotify launched in 2008 and wowed Europe. Now available in the US. Spotify is an application which lets you stream music on your computer or mobile phone, with a 15 million songs strong library. You don't buy any songs, with a subscription you stream them all.
Info
- Company formed in Sweden 2006. The following years launched in various countries in Europe. Now available in the US.
- Available on Mac and PC, Linux version in public beta.
- Phone app available for Android, Symbian, iOS & more.
- 1/6th of the company is owned by record labels.
- The software uses OGG Vorbis for file compression. Sound quality in 160kbps (Free) and 320kbps (Paid sub.)
- Spotify is being integrated into hardware. Lately both Onkyo and Logitech (Squeezebox).
- Keep track of the news on the official blog.
- Available on Mac and PC, Linux version in public beta.
- Phone app available for Android, Symbian, iOS & more.
- 1/6th of the company is owned by record labels.
- The software uses OGG Vorbis for file compression. Sound quality in 160kbps (Free) and 320kbps (Paid sub.)
- Spotify is being integrated into hardware. Lately both Onkyo and Logitech (Squeezebox).
- Keep track of the news on the official blog.
Subscription models
Further comparison at http://www.spotify.com/us/get-spotify/overview/
With an invitation code you'll get the Free package, which has ads. In Europe a big limitation kicks in 6 months after your registration, seems same for the US.
Mobile app
For this you'll need the $9.99 Premium subscription. All your playlists from your computer are synched with the app. When connected to a wifi network (or 3G if you wish, but it may cost you), you can download your playlists to your phone and play offline. Supported phone models listed here.
Playlists
Spotify's account, top lists and new releases
GAF Playlist
Generate a playlist based on your favourite artist
50k+ Playlists database
Top-40 charts (Updated weekly)
Generate a queue based on your favourite artist
GAF Playlist
Generate a playlist based on your favourite artist
50k+ Playlists database
Top-40 charts (Updated weekly)
Generate a queue based on your favourite artist
Gaming soundtracks
European Spotify has a lot of gaming soundtracks, see the Gaming forum. Apparently these aren't up in the US yet, at least not the EA albums. These weren't available at EU launch either, so they'll come soon enough.
Spotify Versus...
Spotify seems to have the edge in the number of songs. The social integration is more advanced than the competitors too (except rdio, which is similar). All have artist radio. Rhapsody has very little social integration, rdio is pretty similar. If you want to read more, here are some good comparisons thanks to Jayayess1190: One, Two, Three.
Q&A
How do I get in?
If you live in Europe (Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK) you should be able to register straight on the site. For Americans, you need a code. Try this. Also see the key begging thread. Every Premium paying member gets one invitation code each month, so there are plenty of Europeans who can offer codes.
How do the playlists and Stars work?
You can Star any song by clicking on the star symbol next to the song name. The Star playlist is then available on the left. Use this as you wish, but it's primarly used as your Primary playlist. Some people don't use it at all. You can also create your own playlists. These can be shared to other members. The Drag-And-Drop technique works best to add songs.
Can I Star artists?
No, but you can create a playlist of your favourite artists. Just add one song from each favourite artist and then sort them by Artist. That way each song will work as a shortcut to each artist by clicking on the artist name.
How can I find other people's playlists?
You can integrate your account with your Facebook account and then see your friend's playlists there. There are also a lot of sites where you can share your playlist, like Share My Playlists. There are also websites who create their own playlists for you, like Topsify which lists the most sold singles in different countries. Above this, record labels also create and update their own playlists, like Sony.
How do I shuffle songs from one artists without having to listen to the collaboration albums?
Search for the artist, start a song and then press shuffle. Don't do it through the Artist page.
Why is there no Artist Radio feature available in the US version?
Update: Artist radio has now been added for US users aswell.
How do I search different genres?
Examples: "year:2011", "genre
op", "label:sony" are all possible. For some strange reason genre:rock isn't. Here are all the 944 genres.
Why are some songs greyed out?
If they are greyed out it means they are not available in your region. It seems like there are multiple copies for different regions. So basically, there's a US version of Born this Way album and one European version. You won't see this when searching for songs, but the "Most played" lists looks a bit wonky right now with a lot of greyed out songs.
How do I see which songs are the most popular atm?
Click "What's new" to the left, then the "Top lists" bar. It will let you list singles and albums by regions.
Why aren't Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beatles and Metallica available?
Some bands have chosen to not support the digital era. This is not a Spotify exclusive issue (though The Beatles have released their songs on iTunes).
Can I integrate last.fm with Spotify?
Yes, in the Preferences window you can setup last.fm
How do I put songs into my friends playlists?
In order to share a playlist where both can put in songs, you need to make a Collaborative playlist. Create a new playlist, right click on it and press "Collaborative playlist". Then share that playlist with whoever you want to collaborate with.
$5 is too much money, will there be a sale?
Spotify doesn't do sales, but with some phone companies in Europe you get X amount of free months when you buy a smart phone. Maybe AT&T & CO will catch on.
Is it possible to share a spotify account with family?
You can't use the same account simultaneously, but you are not tied to one computer. If you want to login on Spotify at your friend's house, it's fully possible.
I live in Canada! How can I use it?
Let a friend in America sign up for Premium, it lets you use it abroad. This hasn't been much tested so do it on your own risk, but it seems to work fine.
How often do I update the software?
Spotify updates the client regurarly by itself.
______________If you live in Europe (Finland, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK) you should be able to register straight on the site. For Americans, you need a code. Try this. Also see the key begging thread. Every Premium paying member gets one invitation code each month, so there are plenty of Europeans who can offer codes.
How do the playlists and Stars work?
You can Star any song by clicking on the star symbol next to the song name. The Star playlist is then available on the left. Use this as you wish, but it's primarly used as your Primary playlist. Some people don't use it at all. You can also create your own playlists. These can be shared to other members. The Drag-And-Drop technique works best to add songs.
Can I Star artists?
No, but you can create a playlist of your favourite artists. Just add one song from each favourite artist and then sort them by Artist. That way each song will work as a shortcut to each artist by clicking on the artist name.
How can I find other people's playlists?
You can integrate your account with your Facebook account and then see your friend's playlists there. There are also a lot of sites where you can share your playlist, like Share My Playlists. There are also websites who create their own playlists for you, like Topsify which lists the most sold singles in different countries. Above this, record labels also create and update their own playlists, like Sony.
How do I shuffle songs from one artists without having to listen to the collaboration albums?
Search for the artist, start a song and then press shuffle. Don't do it through the Artist page.
Why is there no Artist Radio feature available in the US version?
Update: Artist radio has now been added for US users aswell.
How do I search different genres?
Examples: "year:2011", "genre
op", "label:sony" are all possible. For some strange reason genre:rock isn't. Here are all the 944 genres.Why are some songs greyed out?
If they are greyed out it means they are not available in your region. It seems like there are multiple copies for different regions. So basically, there's a US version of Born this Way album and one European version. You won't see this when searching for songs, but the "Most played" lists looks a bit wonky right now with a lot of greyed out songs.
How do I see which songs are the most popular atm?
Click "What's new" to the left, then the "Top lists" bar. It will let you list singles and albums by regions.
Why aren't Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beatles and Metallica available?
Some bands have chosen to not support the digital era. This is not a Spotify exclusive issue (though The Beatles have released their songs on iTunes).
Can I integrate last.fm with Spotify?
Yes, in the Preferences window you can setup last.fm
How do I put songs into my friends playlists?
In order to share a playlist where both can put in songs, you need to make a Collaborative playlist. Create a new playlist, right click on it and press "Collaborative playlist". Then share that playlist with whoever you want to collaborate with.
$5 is too much money, will there be a sale?
Spotify doesn't do sales, but with some phone companies in Europe you get X amount of free months when you buy a smart phone. Maybe AT&T & CO will catch on.
Is it possible to share a spotify account with family?
You can't use the same account simultaneously, but you are not tied to one computer. If you want to login on Spotify at your friend's house, it's fully possible.
I live in Canada! How can I use it?
Let a friend in America sign up for Premium, it lets you use it abroad. This hasn't been much tested so do it on your own risk, but it seems to work fine.
How often do I update the software?
Spotify updates the client regurarly by itself.
Now let's share Playlists and keep track of future albums releases! I'll let MThanded start it off from the old thread:
MThanded said:
