Spotify launches unlimited free US service Spotify launched its US presence on Thursday, as it said it would just last week. The multi-million-song streaming-music service comes in three flavors: Free, Unlimited, at $4.99 per month; and Premium, at $9.99 per month. To get the freebie service, you'll need to enter your email address on the Spotify website, and wait to …
The UK Open version of Spotify started off with no restrictions other than needing to listen to adverts once in a while. They then changed the rules to limit the amount per month and limit the number of times a track can be played to 5.
Thats one of the problems of anything in the cloud, they can change the rules at their whim
But I dont think changing the goal posts is just limited to the cloud. It seems to be getting adopted by everything, and everyone - ISP's, Mobile Phone companies, energy companies, newspapers, politicians et al. It seems that if the contracts / goal posts / rules / laws don't favour the companies / corporations 100% then the contracts / goal posts / rules / laws need to be changed in order to maximise profits. Of course Spotify couldn't go on offering such a good free offering - it wouldn't make enough money because no one would buy the subscription service. But it feels a bit like the way you would get treated by a drug dealer - offering free gear at first with no mention that it might dry up later and you would be expected to pay for it!
Just makes me feel a bit dirty and naive i suppose.
Spotify isn't (primarily) streaming radio. On-demand listening has a significantly higher royalty cost than throwing random songs at a listener.
See also: We7's recent repositioning (basically "we do on-demand, but we'd much rather you listened to our radio") and Last.fm's changes in 2010 (goodbye on-demand listening).
There's an update on the linked article to say that this trick still imposes listening restrictions. You'll still need an invite from someone to switch from the 'open' account (limited plays) to the 'free' account (unlimited but with ads).
Damn. I thought I'd be able to start using it again. I like to hear my favourite songs more than five times.
I loved Spotify when it first launched. Now I can't be bothered. 10 hours per month AND I have to listen to adverts? No thanks, there are a ton of ad-supported radio streams I can tune into with no restrictions on listening time. OK so I can't pick specific tunes on a radio stream but I don't have spare time to compile playlists anyway, and I quite like being exposed to new music.
And, on the topic of terms changing, my Three PAYG "all-you-can-eat data" plan on an "unlocked" sim is now restricted to phone devices only. Maybe they want to reduce traffic but as anyone can cain the bandwidth just as much using tethering as with a usb dongle it's a pointless exercise.
Agree regarding exposure to new music. Songs and albums I really like, I buy. As far as I'm concerned, streaming services are good for the same thing radio is (or should be) good for: hearing a mix of stuff I already like, and new stuff I might like. The only use I've ever had for On Demand is to play something I don't own for someone else.
No doubt other people have other preferences, but I find Spotify completely uninteresting.
Not sure what the moaning is about here. I have been using Spotify Premium in the UK on my phone, PC and via 3 squeezeboxes to stream music around the house. It's great. It costs me £10 per month for unlimited access to old / new music. I already have over 3000 CD's ripped to a media server and find myself using Spotify to find new music and listen to old favourites. I just wish I could get it as a flac stream. Other than that I am incredibly happy with it.
Not sure what the moaning is about here. I have been using Spotify Premium in the UK on my phone, PC and via 3 squeezeboxes to stream music around the house. It's great. It costs me £10 per month for unlimited access to old / new music. I already have over 3000 CD's ripped to a media server and find myself using Spotify to find new music and listen to old favourites. I just wish I could get it as a flac stream. Other than that I am incredibly happy with it.
Any responses for rubbishing the cloud are voted down, and anyone saying they love spotify voted up.
And I'm not fond of paying for things twice, and dearly at that. Mobile data rates (at least in Oz) are obscenely expensive.
Dunno, just saying, something smells funny. (and it isn't me, I checked).
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