There are (at the time of this writing) now more ways to listen to music than can be counted. Over the past few years, music has become a central and integral part of most people’s lives. The iPod enjoys more success than the Walkman ever did, and streaming music platforms abound online.
Spotify streams music, but it does so in a manner that won’t have you looking over your shoulder. Unlike other music sites, everything that Spotify does is legal. What’s more, Spotify offers users a clean interface that’s easy to navigate. This is a refreshing change from sites such as iTunes that are jumbled and somewhat irritating. In fact, there are a lot of things about Spotify that are encouraging (other sites, take note!).
Go Ahead and Share
Spotify knows that you want to share tunes with your friends (and it’s ok with it!). You’re free to share any song you like with any friend that you like. You can even download and share files directly from the Spotify site. How is this possible?
Spotify has all of its legal paperwork in order. Record companies know that users are downloading music from Spotify, and this isn’t a problem. That means that you can share to your heart’s content, and nobody will bust down your door for liking free music. This brings me to the next great thing about Spotify.
A Truly Free Service
Buying a song from iTunes can be expensive. Downloading songs from Spotify is completely free. That’s right, it’s really free. You can choose from thousands of songs, and you don’t have to pay for any of them. How refreshing is that?
Anyone can use Spotify, and anyone can download songs for free. All you really have to do is go to the Spotify website, choose a tune, and start downloading. No fees, no restrictions, no contracts or member services, just music. Spotify also has a fairly large music library, so finding a tune you like is a piece of cake.
The Downside
It’s hard to find something wrong with Spotify. Yet, there’s a downside to everything. In this case, it’s that Spotify offers a premium subscription. Premium subscribers enjoy faster downloads and slightly better quality. But don’t let this stop you from using Spotify.
Members who join for free also enjoy plenty of music, quick download times, and good quality. Some may find the fact that Spotify’s free version is ad supported a drawback, but, hey, a company has to make money somehow. Further, the Spotify ads are nowhere near as annoying as, say, Grooveshark’s ads.
The Hype
Spotify is expected to become more popular that iTunes. The company began across the ocean in Europe, though many North Americans are quickly catching onto this service. If you want to check out Spotify (and I recommend that you do), just visit the site, plug in a song or two, and get to listening. Spotify may just revolutionize the way that we listen to music, and that would be a great thing.