I love my music and really like keeping up with the latest trends, spending a good few quid every month on this passion. That was until my son introduced me to Spotify, the music streaming service that has totally transformed the way I listen to music, saving me money in the process.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a music streaming service which allows you to listen to music, from their massive library, on your computer, tablet, mobile or even on your home entertainment system. The music is streamed over the internet but can also be downloaded to listen to on your commute or at the gym.
How much does Spotify cost?
There are three levels of service with Spotify, one service is free with the other two charging a monthly fee.
- Free service - allows you to listen to music on your computer over the internet, however, your listening will be interrupted by adverts.
- £4.99 per month service - allows you to listen to music on your computer over the internet without the interruption of adverts.
- £9.99 per month service - allows you to listen to music on your computer, tablet, mobile and even on your home entertainment system. With this premium service you can download music and listen to it on your commute or at the gym. In this offline mode the service is also available to multiple users.
So how does Spotify work?
Once you sign up to your preferred service you get access to Spotify through a desktop or mobile app and can then search for music by artist, album or track. Once you have found your desired music you can then just play the music or put it into a playlist to listen to later. All your playlists will be saved, in date order, so that you can listen to all your music time and again.
How comprehensive is the Spotify music library
With over 20 million tracks you will never be lost for something to suit your taste in music. If, however, your music tastes are more unusual, there may be some of your favourite tracks missing, even from this expansive library.
Are there any other interesting features on Spotify?
I think this is one of Spotify's strong areas as there a number of features that can add significantly to your listening pleasure.
- Apps - free apps bring you new and exciting music experiences built around your music tastes. There are apps to discover new music, get expert reviews, get lyrics to your favourite songs, create instant playlists, match the perfect music to your mood and more.
- Spotify Radio - this is one the best ways to discover new music. Every time you give a thumbs up, or down, Spotify learns the type of music you like and creates a 'radio station' of music to suit your taste.
- Facebook - connecting Spotify to your Facebook account allows you to share and discover new music with your friends. See the music your friends are listening to and just hit play to listen to this music instantly.
- ShareMyPlaylist - You can search for playlists created by other subscribers, or upload one of your own playlist for others to view.
Conclusion
If you are a keen music fan, and regularly buy albums, then Spotify is a great resource which can bring you more music at less cost. One drawback, of course is that you never actually 'own' the music, so if you like to collect CDs as a tangible product then this may not be the service for you. Whilst there are a couple of irritating features, particularly no alphabetical playlist search, on the whole this is a great service for the music lover.
