Spotify says hello to the iPod | Hacker News Reader

Spotify says hello to the iPod

spotify.com

60 pointsdaveman69232 comments

I've used Spotify since fall of 2008. It's hands down the most amazing music service out there. Everyone that have I've showed it to pretty much fell in love with it.

Until today Spotify's mobile apps have only been available to premium subs. With this you can throw out iTunes and sync with your iPhone, Android etc. Sync over Wi-fi and playlist management is way simpler than iTunes.

Do they have a web version, though? I'd much rather not have to download a client.

It's a peer to peer program, storing local copies of songs (in an obsfucated format you can't access), so it really needs some kind of local presence.

Why not File API with fallback to Flash?

Sounds like you want GrooveShark: http://groveshark.com

What's interesting is that now the mobile apps are available for free users, I'm sorry to say that they are going to lose I little of my money as this was my primary reason for paying for spotify.

I know this is your choice. But seriously.

Why not pay for such a great service? Why quible over such a low price?

You might be different than most people. But paying 20USD for a couple of bears and drinks is nothing yet when it comes to pay for music ad libitum people suddenly become very aware of their money.

I am not casting any blame, just interested in why people rationalize like that.

He was paying for mobile access. If mobile access is now free, that means he is donating $20 to Spotify if he keeps paying.

The question turns into, "Why is Spotify more worthy than any other organization, for-profit or non-profit, of my $20 donation?"

Because of the value they provide you?

Personally, I don't want to blur the line between paying and donating.

If you want to make business out of something, price it. I'm not going to "donate" if you are not some non-profit charity organization. But I'll gladly "pay" the same amount.

Business accepting donation feels like a convenient way for them to deny responsibility because, they didn't sell me anything, even if socially people will tell me to "donate".

Well, given the other restrictions that Spotify imposed this month on the Free Spotify accounts, I can't see myself limiting myself to those restrictions any time soon, hence why I'm Premium.

Mobile access is not free. It is only a player for music you have bought.

I'm a happy paying Spotify user. While for the time I actually listen to music the 20 USD per month is quite a bit, the fact that I was able to get rid of all my CDs and MP3s makes it worth it. Music on demand

"paying 20USD for a couple of bears and drinks is nothing yet when it comes to pay for music"

One geek, two bears and lots of drinks - what a sight :)

ha ha beers!

Ah, but remember that the free version now only allows you to play each song five times per month.

I'm delighted with Spotify Premium, and will gladly go on paying for it.

That's a valid point, last time I used the free account this restriction was not there. This kind of limit makes the free account feel more like a trial account, maybe they won't lose my money after all...

I'd love to buy a Spotify Premium account, particularly with the new restrictions on the Free and Open accounts, but the only UK credit card I have is a company card - it won't let me buy an account with my personal non-UK card.

I'm this close to buying it on the company card and letting the accountant be cross with me at the end of the year (Hey, I need entertainment when working, right?).

Here's one way of doing it that supposedly works: http://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/fjaqk/anyone_willin...

You still can't sync songs you don't own. If you become a free user then any music you just 'made available offline' won't be accessible to you any longer.

You can only play synced mp3's in the free version, not stream music.

Sounds great. However, it seems only music you bought, and MP3's from your own computer can be synced. As far as I see you can't sync tracks offline without buying them, as you can with the mobile apps (when you are a premium subscriber). That would be awesome. It probably won't work because the iPod only plays music with no, or apple-only DRM. :(

Is this officially licensed from Apple? If not..how long will Apple let it stand?

Apple's number 1 priority is getting iTunes&cruft onto every computer their products touch. It won't be long before they put an end to this blasphemy.

Apple's priority is to sell hardware. Spotify is simply another great app.

You'd think it would be wouldn't you? It's not. It's all about iTunes for Apple.

Spotify seems to really focus on playlists in their marketing, but I don't see people around me using them that much. They just see Spotify as their iTunes catalogue, but just with a lot more music in it.

Playlists are horrible, Spotify still lack a Genre > Artist > Album view.

I agree completely. This is the main issue that keeps me using iTunes even though I'm a Spotify Premium subscriber. Somebody added a ticket about this on Spotify's Get Satisfaction page: http://getsatisfaction.com/spotify/topics/more_advanced_libr... -- let's go there and vote/like! :)

That was my experience when I used it (about a year ago now). I couldn't add artists to my "collection", I could only create playlists, which led to clutter and wasn't very elegant. Personally Rdio does everything I would want.

Spotify is one of two applications that my family have discovered and use regularly without me recommending it. The other is Dropbox.

Is the app available to people in the US? Last I heard, Spotify was having issues reaching a deal with US record labels.

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