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Spotify, the huge music streaming phenomenon in Europe, recently announced they’re finally premiering in the US. An official launch date hasn’t been announced but you can sign up for a beta invite on their website. Users can use it to tap their 13 million song catalog, share records on social networking sites and create playlists with friends among other features.
Spotify is the latest entrant in the streaming/cloud wars brewing stateside. The service will let you stream songs for free on your computer and monthly plans enable unlimited streaming and access on mobile devices, like iPhones, for undisclosed prices. The best guesstimate currently suggests either the usual currency sign switch or properly converting its pricing plans from euros to US dollars. Their £4.99 a month plan for unlimited streaming and no ads goes for about $7.15. The £9.99 montly tier, featuring the unlimited plans perks, offline playlists and mobile device support, runs at around $14.31. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see those plans bump to $7.99 and $14.99 a month respectively but, once again, the proposed subscription fees are all speculation at this point.
You don’t “own” any of the songs in its vast library but, at the same time, there’s no uploading involved in accessing your tunes. Everything is hosted on their servers so it’s just a matter of searching to see whether or not they have the song you need. They tout “millions of songs” for their European users so one can expect the bulk of their selection to hit the mainland: what with Spotify’s concerted effort to get majors on board. It’ll be interesting to see how the initiative plays out when its in its final build. In the meantime I’ll just wait for our invitation to come through before I pass judgment. You can try your luck with an invite at Spotify’s US website.
