Can't really compare it to iTunes in my mind.

The Spotify application is a peer-to-peer streaming application that lets end users play one another's music but, importantly, not store save a local copy of the file (ie. it's NOT designed for file sharing).

So, whilst I don't claim to fully understand the whole package, I guess there's no way in could work in conjunction with an iPod or other such device (ie. it's usage is limited to a computer).

Then there's the business model: advertisements are interjected into the audio streams every so often, there are partner sites where you can buy the music you're listening to and there are plans to offer to ad-free subscriptions.

Some cool technology for sure. The client application looks nice and it's interesting to see the music industry willing to embrace a new model.

But it remains to be seen how successful it will be.

Well, within minutes of posting, i got it up & running in seconds, and I gotta say... it's lightning fast!

Quick install, gorgeous GUI, and the songs play just like they're on your HDD instantly.

Lots of songs i feel overwhelmed, it just helps you in a way through the clean interface to find what you're looking for or what you might like.

Radio is cool too, you can select which genre you want to listen to then select the era you want or a specific era to another (70's to 90's/ 80's to 00's...).

Looking up artists is fast, you can check out all their songs, their albums or their top hits.

@ChrisD Yeah, I admit i got ahead of myself with the "iTunes killer" comment lol. While it doesn't allow you to actually store the music on your Computer, I still think it's something that could be used for quick music browsing. I think it would be nice to run side by side with iTunes and write down songs that you may see that aren't in your library or unavailable on the itunes store (Underground, Old School...).

It's supposed to be coming to the iPhone, but with all that google voice app rejection stuff who's to say they won't start rejecting every app that ever comes out again lol.

I'm going to dive into this all night tonight, so i'll post the final verdict tomm. Going in though it feels very snappy and looks perty. If i could compare it's like itunes, & imeem, & youtube all mashed up together lol. Lots of potential in this one.

Absolutely. Looks like an awesome way to check out new tunes before buying them, for example.


Fair call. There's no way Apple will cannibalize a very successful part of their business. But even if Spotify were available on an iPhone or similar device it would still require a network connection to access tracks. So, in the regard, I don't see it as a replacement for my old-skool offline iPod.


Please do. Spotify's not available in New Zealand yet (boo) but it's looks very interesting to me.

I gotta say, hands down this thing beasts anything else in its category... well, it IS in its own category. Performance is phenomenal, and selection is just stunning. I went through this thing all night and couldn't find anything wrong with it.

For what it is it doesn't try to do anything else, there's no gimmicks. You want a song search it play it done. No hitches glitches choke up's... nadda, no buffering time no stutters either.

I tried something weird too... Last night i double clicked a song, and the song INSTANTLY played. So i gave it barely a second or two, before i switched off my wlan card on the windows laptop. The song played almost entirely with only a second or two of loading WITHOUT AN INTERNET CONNECTION (Very weird). The only explanation i can think of is that when something is searched all the results start slowly buffering and when a song is selected it's already been shortly pre-loaded, which helps load time.


Not Sure if this app is actually available on the itunes store yet but here's a demo of it on the iphone, it shows online and offline sync.

Watchwww.youtube.com

Spotify needs only an account registered in say... the UK. Once registered you don't need to be in the actual UK to use it. If you'd like to try it i think you can try a proxy.

virtual dj 6 has this concept as a feature

read somewhere it's not available in the usa. is that true? might be useful for building playlists for oddball events you may not have all the music for. then, you go get/buy the music where ever you normally would...

sounds pretty sick
legality?

100% Legal, the labels own parts of the company now. It's being fully backed by the industry.



True, it's not here yet. But people are registering using proxy's.

lifehacker.com
(check out the comments)

would there ever be the possiblity of Serato+Spotify working within scratch live?

I always thought spotify was something you didn't want your girl to do before you put your penis in her vagina.

Maybe iTunes & Spotify would seem like a brighter idea, We wouldn't want SSL to become bloatware

@sixx - Damn Clown lol

I am currently using spotify and I AM AMAZED...While using Spotify premium (10UK pounds a month) you can have every song streamed @ 320Kbps they CAN BE SAVED in you HDD and used OFFLINE in an encryptet cache....so Rane could just arrange it so that cache is decrypted with serato and used as a separate library ring which includes spotify tracks,playlists,etc. as long as these songs are already in your disk....then to do something for sportify they can make a PRO membership which is about Pro dj's 20UK pounds lets say and month so they can let serato users to DJ with spotify downloaded songs....everyone is happy...serato users can DJ with every possible style (at 320kbps quality I repeat) anytime the have internet/or not if they are prepared before and worship serato,serato becomes THE TOP PRO DJ SOFTWARE cause with the spotify support it acutally supports a huge database of songs...I have found everything I searched for...even mixes I didnt know that existed...spotify is happy because it DJ's pay 20 a month to gig with its songs....even record labels are happy cause the will surely have a copyright contract which gives them right to spotify's income from the PRO users....

please RANE think about it...it IS possible and it will be a great benefit for you :)...and us...and everyone...exepct Native instruments competitors ;)

Apple is right now fighting legal battle to Spotify enters the US, because they claim that music should be charged per a song and not paying for membership and download all what you want.

Spotify DOES let you sync to an iPod but you have to replace iTunes with the Spotify app. and erase and resync your iPod.

i thought this would be a harry potter thread

Yay!!! Spotify is in the US. Serato please add a bridge!!!!

Man, I just recently got on Spotify and I love it. The service is quick as hell. It feels like I have the music stored on my computer. I've heard it called the iTunes killer and I can kinda agree. You can't burn Cd's with it, but then again CDs are on the way out anyway. I highly recommend it.

so who's utilizing spotify playlist?

I just got the premium subscription to Spotify thinking that listen offline option would store music on my Mac and I could use it in Serato... So far it looks like that is not able to happen. Someone know if this is possible or if it is being worked on?

I am using for an about a year Spotify, being a uni student in UK where I am originally from Greece. The Spotify software can downloaded from not supported countries through torrent, which is NOT illegal as the software itself is freeware (and thats the small window Spotify "accidentaly" leaves open so that not supported countries can have access to Spotify. So I am paying 10pounds a month and I use an Iphone 4 having a full lirary of Spotify songs available offline...hell with the new version my iphone and my PC (NOT MAC) can sync newly added spotify songs through WiFi (Daaamn :D )...Spotify is fully backed up and currently existing in USA...think about this Rane it is so simple yet so profitable both for you and ur clients...I know kinda lot of things about IT so you know you guys that is simple...10 times more simple than the bridge u did with Ableton...yet that feature can attract a vast amount of DJ's that are considering the Native Instruments solution or from other major companies.

Anyone know if linking it to iTunes is safe? Does it modify your iTunes library in any way? I'm asking here cause this is a Dj forum. Their FAQ (which I've checked) says it's safe but that's from a regular users perspective.

No problems for me. I love Spotify.

It really is a good idea. VDJ has done this with Groove Shark and its been a life saver for those strange requests. Would like to see Serato catch up and incorporate something like them.......

Exactly. Especially at weddings.

Plus you don't have to go out and waste money on tracks you'd never play play again, lol! All in all its a win win if you ask me......

does it have videos?

nope