Spotify
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 public access on October 7th, 2008. At this time, select users were given free accounts and could invite a limited number of other users to also create accounts. These users were given Spotify Free accounts. The general public in the United Kingdom could open accounts, specified as Spotify Open accounts, without invitations beginning in February 2009. However, due to the unanticipated surge in new accounts, Spotify had to limit registration to by invitation only again. On April 14th, 2011, Spotify announced a change in the amount of music Spotify Open and Spotify Free users could stream. [1]. Spotify was not launched in the United Sates until July 14, 2011. [2].
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[3].
Membership
There are three levels of Spotify access: Spotify Free, Unlimited and Premium[4]. Out of the 10 million Spotify users, approximately only 1 million are paying customers[5].
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.
Ethical Issues
It is no secret that there has been debate about the ethical rights of Spotify. Not just by major labels and signed artists, but indie artists, and consumers themselves. The ethical question at hand is how much compensation artists should receive for streaming their music through services like Spotify. Most experts would say that the question of “compensation” cannot be answered accurately because Spotify doesn’t pay artists directly. The publishers, copyright holders, and record labels get the money depending on terms of condition. Spotify is a legal service because they only stream music rather than allow it to be downloaded directly, however ethical issues still surround the streaming music and subscription services.
