Difference between revisions of "Spotify"
(→References) |
(→Membership) |
||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
==Membership== | ==Membership== | ||
| − | There are three levels of Spotify access: Spotify, | + | There are three levels of Spotify access: Spotify Free, Unlimited and Premium<ref>http://www.spotify.com/us/get-spotify/overview/</ref>. Out of the 10 million Spotify users, approximately only 1 million are paying customers<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12676327</ref>. |
| + | |||
| + | === Spotify Free === | ||
| + | The most basic version, allows users to listen to all Spotify tracks instantly, create and share playlists, and play local files. For the first six months, users are allowed unlimited listening, however, are only offered 10 hours/month afterwards. Advertisements are played after every few songs. | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Spotify Unlimited === | ||
| + | Priced at $4.99/month, users have unlimited listening with no advertisements as you stream music, but does not offer the Premium features. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Spotify Premium === | ||
| + | Priced priced at $9.99/month, users have unlimited listening as well as premium features including: the use of Spotify on mobile devices, ability to access playlists offline, enhanced sound quality, and exclusive content. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 20:31, 29 November 2011
Spotify is an online music service that provides its users with streaming access to over 15 million songs for free. It was first launched in Stockholm, Sweden in 2008 and is now headquartered in the UK.
Contents
History
Spotify was founded in April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Marin Lorentzon in Stockholm, Sweden. The website was launched for user access October 7th, 2008. At this time users could create a free account if invited by a current member. It was not until February 2009 that the general public could open accounts without invitations in the United Kingdom, but due to the surge in new accounts Spotify again had to limit registration to invitation only. In May 2010 they made two more account types available to users; Spotify Unlimited and Spotify Open. On April 14th 2011 they announced that the amount of music Spotify Open and Spotify Free users could stream from 20 hours a month to 10 hours a month starting at the beginning of May of that year. Spotify was not launched in the United Sates until July 14th 2011[1].
Features
Playlists
Playlists are saved to the user's account and can be instantly accessed from any Spotify client. They can be shared with friends by emailing or instant messaging a link to the playlist. Upon following the link, the shared playlist is added to the user's library.
Mobile
Spotify can currently be accessed from a variety of mobile devices including any Apple product running iOS, Android, Blackberry and Windows mobile. To use Spotify on a mobile device, there is a monthly fee of $9.99. There have been some complaints about the mobile app. Users cite problems with syncing their devices as well as the app frequently crashing.
Offline mode
Spotify can be accessed without an Internet connection using the Offline mode feature. This enables the user to choose specific playlists that sync to the computer or device allowing playback anywhere, including subways, airplanes, boats, and beaches. The mobile client also has a "Force Offline" mode which immediately stops Spotify from using the Internet. This can be especially useful for preserving battery life and data usage[2].
Membership
There are three levels of Spotify access: Spotify Free, Unlimited and Premium[3]. Out of the 10 million Spotify users, approximately only 1 million are paying customers[4].
Spotify Free
The most basic version, allows users to listen to all Spotify tracks instantly, create and share playlists, and play local files. For the first six months, users are allowed unlimited listening, however, are only offered 10 hours/month afterwards. Advertisements are played after every few songs.
Spotify Unlimited
Priced at $4.99/month, users have unlimited listening with no advertisements as you stream music, but does not offer the Premium features.
Spotify Premium
Priced priced at $9.99/month, users have unlimited listening as well as premium features including: the use of Spotify on mobile devices, ability to access playlists offline, enhanced sound quality, and exclusive content.
