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The Webernets

SPOTIFY U.S. IS HERE FTW!!!

 Friday, July 15th, 2011 at 10:00am by

SpotifyLast week I reported that Spotify would be launching in the U.S. The company instead launched a website soliciting email addresses for the trial, but didn’t actually launch. Until yesterday! AND IT IS THE BEST THING EVVVAAAARRRRRR!

While rumors fly around about how the service is “invite only,” that’s only half true: to use the free, ad supported model, as of right now you do need an invite. But if you’ve got a mere 5 or 10 bucks per month to plop down for motherfucking unlimited streaming music ANYTIME ANYWHERE, Spotify is yours for the taking right now! Do you people understand the significance of this? Music consumption will never be the same.

I signed up for the service immediately, and it does not disappoint! A few observations:

  • The interface is super clean and very iTunes-like, but faster.
  • It is fast. Searches appear almost instantaneously, and a “smart search” box in the upper right makes it easy to find the albums and artists you’re looking for.
  • Spotify automatically loads your iTunes library into its own interface so you don’t have to jostle between apps, and marks such files with a small itunes logo (music note) on the far right of each iTunes track.

The $10/month version works on your computer and mobile devices and features the highest quality audio, while the $5/month version only works on your computer and has lower quality audio. Is there anyone on earth who wouldn’t fork over $10 for this? I think it’s one of those things where the $5 version is there just to incentivize you to move up to the more expensive one. I haven’t tried the mobile version yet because my iPhone’s Wifi has been acting wonky lately, but rest assured I will.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up now.

-VN

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  • bbeh2183

    No care ever.

  • Jacob

    Physical forever

    • Brian

      AMEN!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonathan-Votypka/541093131 Jonathan Votypka

      This.

      • Xander

        +1

  • jd091

    Or I could use this cool thing called Torrents, which get me any metal album ever, not just a limited selection, and actually put it on my iPod or iPhone, and it’s FREE. Just sayin’.

    • http://www.metalsucks.net Vince Neilstein

      You can put it on your ipod or iphone with the $10/month version. All this is WAY faster and easier then searching for and downloading a torrent. Once you try it out you’ll see.

      -VN

      • jd091

        Yeah, but then I would
        A) Not be able to scrobble it when I connect to iTunes
        B) Still have to pay money.

        Come on, if its free out there, I’m gonna take it. I go to about 30-40 shows a year anyways, and buy T-shirts from at least half of them. I waste enough money on metal as it is.

        • BlackGirls5750

          Spotify has built in LastFM scrobbler.
          The PC or MAC player is free. (mobile playing is the money)
          Maybe this could be something you’ll use to sample tunes before you either.
          A) buy it
          B)Torrent that shit

    • Metalwolf

      And you’d be helping to further destroy the music industry and the income of the bands you like. Bonus!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Korzelius/44205211 Matthew Korzelius

        Disagree. This could be the last chance for the industry to make money.

        • GoingDeaf?

          I believe he was responding to the genius above who said to just torrent everything for free.

      • jd091

        Or I could not give a flying fuck. Just Sayin’.

      • OLiNViLLE

        + 1,000,000 to Metalwolf. Listen to the shit here then go buy the physical if you want. and to all you MF saying “its free, WTF?” I’ll make sure to come by McDonalds and ask you for my free fucking hamburger.

  • Vakarm

    i got no problem with a Netflix-like system for music. but i do enjoy possessing a copy on my computer and being able to put it on my ipod. I don’t think this is for me

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/ystein-Liland/593049578 Øystein Liland

      You can put it on your iPod :) You just make a playlist on you PC and mark it as available offline in the Spotify iOS app and it syncs the entire playlist. This is for Premium users only, but it’s so worth it. You oughta check it out and just fiddle around with it, you’ll love it :D

      • http://confrontingevilyoudread.wordpress.com logAnarchy

        yeah, but after you stop paying each month the music goes away. Kinda ruins it for me.

  • Justin Foley

    Hey Vince –

    How limited is the selection on this? (I’m asking because I don’t have access yet.) Let’s say I wanted to listen to the following 5 songs. How many would I get?

    When the Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
    UFO – Torche
    Känsla Av Livets Nästa Skede – Bergraven
    Thinner, Stronger – Poster Children
    Reincarnate – Murmuure

    I ask about these songs specifically because they sorta represent different levels of distance from the mainstream.

    = Justin

    • the pair

      this.

      i was wondering the same thing…there are quite a few CDs i can’t even find on ebay or amazon so how much good will this service do me?

      i have to say any service that will stream bergraven and poster children is worth way more than $5/10.

    • Bread

      First one yes
      second one maybe
      last three most likely not
      my guess at least.

    • Aaron

      1- Yes
      2- Yes
      3- No
      4- No but I did see 6 Poster Children albums
      5- No

      —-Grooveshark comparison—-
      1- Yes
      2- Yes
      3- Yes
      4- No but I did see a bunch of Poster Children albums
      5- Yes

      tl;dr Grooveshark has a better library… and it’s free, no streaming limit

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Corey-Mitchell/660352330 Corey Mitchell

      Another Bergraven fan. All the more reason to like you, Justin. Kudos!

      • http://www.facebook.com/people/Dan-Roshin-Wolfson/557092638 Dan Roshin Wolfson

        if they got bergraven on fuckin itunes, then….

  • http://www.grotescofin.blogspot.com Blackened

    Yeah, now it’s very cool, very cheap, now it’s all very pretty, but after a while, they will start with the limitations, only listen 10 hours per month, more commercials between songs, enjoy while you can

  • c.melendez

    this shits pretty old, has noone used Grooveshark?

    • derp

      No doubt. Grooveshark is great.

      • cheryl666

        Grooveshark is awesome! mobile version was only 3$ a month

  • Memememe

    Did you get paid to promote this? Because the whole thing is super corny and lame, it smacks of paid promoting. It also doesn’t seem very metal. Personal observation: No corporation or business ever gives a shit about Metal music, theres no money in it because it appeals to a tiny majority. I would guess they petal piss poor Pop music and a fucking embarrassing and ignorant amount or metal (Disturbed). For fucks sake itunes doesn’t even list metal as a fucking genre. It DOES however list children’s music as one. I’ll use my ten dollars on beer and continue buying vinyls.

    • Charlie Brown

      I’ve been listening to skeletonwitch, DEP, Ghost and Agalloch all morning. they have a very solid selection of metal. lacking a bit on classic rock stuff right now if you’re really into that kind of music. that would be my only warning.

      • Memememe

        I’ll reserve my judgment and let others do the testing. Also I stand corrected. My itunes now shows new genre’s including metal. If what your saying is true then I will take a look at it for sure. I’ve just had a bad experience with everything like this in the past. We just aren’t the people that make these websites there money.

        • Charlie Brown

          You are correct. They will do much better peddling chris brown’s songs about outdated hats. After all, it is a business. I have no experience with this kind of thing and I’m not sure what possessed me to try it. Perhaps MS’s not-so-subliminal messages. I haven’t taken to it 100% yet and am still trying to feel it out. Like I said after this post, the organization bothers me. Also, what happens when this becomes outdated someday and I have built up my library on Spotify? Nothing good I am sure. I may eventually cancel my membership but not quite yet. It definitely seems worth the try.

          • Hetal

            And here I thought I was the only person on this blog who has heard “Snapback Back.”

  • Charlie Brown

    The iPhone app works great. Very fast even when not on wifi. The only problem I have is organization. I have 166 gigs on my comp and if it is listed only by song then it’s a really big fucking pain to browse through them. However this is easily fixable hopefully in an update or two they will address this. I want the music to look like it does on my iPod/iPhone.

  • Carlos

    Sounds cool but I’m already forking my ten bucks a month to Sony’s qriocity and it sounds like they’re the same thing. Also Pandora keeps me pretty happy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Josh-Kruk/520503461 Josh Kruk

    Its pretty good. Im enjoying it. The social sharing aspect and mobile are what sets it apart from Grooveshark. Definitely have some obscure stuff. Found some Mr Bungle, some Pig Destroyer and some Nachtmystium. Thats not obscure to metal fans but to the general public you know it is. It will only grow as it continues. I recommend it

  • John

    I have a Zune Pass, that’s good enough for me.

  • pixelate

    I’ve hated clouds ever since I was a kid and this is no different.

  • d.o.g.o.b.g.y.n.

    This blog post has been brought to you by Spotify.

    Spotify: Everyone Else Is Throwing Their Money Away These Days. Shouldn’t You?

  • AxeRipper

    How does it compare to MOG? I don’t really want to pay $10 a month for two services.

    • JeffB

      Really they seem about the same. Mog has higher bit rates at the 5 dollar price point, and I like the Mog interface better.

  • Justin Foley

    I do not get why people cannot see past the alleged conflict of interest.

    Metalsucks, circa 1886 “HOLY SHIT. KARL BENZ HORSELESS CARRIAGE FTW!”
    Commenter “This is bullshit. How much are those Krauts paying you assholes?”

    Are you folks incapable of evaluating this thing on its own merits?

    = Justin

    • Incarnate

      Pretty funny you speak out about conflict of interest allegations on a site you (used to) write for.

      Just sayin.

      = Incarnate

      • Justin Foley

        What? I don’t understand what you wrote.

        = Justin

  • Brian

    Seems like the selection is decent…but how is the sound quality?? A few comments on Gizmodo said it wasn’t that good and the fact that the Premium service includes “Enhanced sound quality” is a little sketchy to me.

    I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, but i definitely want to be able to hear all of my music.

    • pariah

      Brian, if you’re not an audiophile you’ll be fine with the regular streaming. Having said that, I’ve been a paying customer for a couple of years now. Here’s why: 1. I have my computer hooked up to a decent stereo, so the high quality streaming does make a difference. I’ve tested it on a few of my friends though, and they don’t really hear a difference. Ear of the beholder I guess. 2. I think Spotify is worth supporting. I don’t know if the US gets the same library as us in Europe, but there’s a lot of metal on it and other obscure stuff. I’ve spent countless nights in front of the computer, discovering new bands via Spotifys “similar artists” function.

      If nothing else, I can’t stress enough how awesome Spotify is. It’s changed how people listen to music here, and from what I understand music piracy is on a steady decline. Album reviews in some online newspapers come with a link to the album on Spotify, very handy.

      I have a few invitations that I can send out. Anybody wanting one will have to leave an email adress here though. I might e-mail some midget porn too, so beware.

  • http://diggin-graves.blogspot.com/ The Fool

    I gave Spotify my email three weeks ago, and I still haven’t received my invite…

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Micah-Ramchandani/691623100 Micah Ramchandani

      Did you try this page? http://www.spotify.com/us/coca-cola/
      I got my invite about 5 hours later (today) after giving them my email from here.

  • GK3

    Yeah, this kind of seems like Grooveshark or maybe even Rhapsody. I really don’t see the big deal.

  • Matt

    ” I haven’t tried the mobile version yet because my iPhone’s Wifi has been acting wonky lately, but rest assured I will.”

    And that’s the #1 problem with this service. My ipod doesn’t take internet to play music when I want it to (take for instance listening to music in my car). Spotify is probably great, provided you have a constant internet connection. Tell me can I download whatever songs off spotify I want so I can listen to them offline?

    I might give the mobile version a try since my phone at least has 3g but if the quality isn’t top notch I’m not going to pay for it. Guess for now I better keep those “obsolete” files just in case and continue to use this great free service called grooveshark

    • Charlie Brown

      if you do the premium services you get access to unlimited downloads that are available for use off line.

    • Charlie Brown

      Also, the 3G quality is just as good as an MP3 on your ipod, fyi. However, you have to pay the premium price to use the mobile app. I’m trying it out now as well and trying to see if it is worth it.

      • Matt

        So basically you’re telling me I can download “unlimited” cds for $10 a month? Can I do anything with the files or is it tied to the app only?

        I understand about having to pay to use the app but if it’s really awesome I could see myself using it (maybe). Then again I’d rather take the $10 and buy a t-shirt from an artist because they make way more money off it and I actually own something then.

        • Charlie Brown

          Precisely. I haven’t experimented much with the files so I can’t really answer that question. That is something I would like to know. One of my biggest concerns is that this will become obsolete someday and all of my music will be tied up in spotify. I illegally download but i also purchase a lot of music and trust me, it is wayyy more than 10$ per month.

  • nick

    The US introduction site is pretty vague. Is there a list somewhere that details exactly what you’re paying for? It would be nice if they put a search function on the front page so you can at least see if they have the music you want.

  • squealie

    torrents all day son

    • Memememe

      Eerday.

  • Jewers

    Does it have All Shall Perish’s new album yet? Nope, didn’t think so.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Korzelius/44205211 Matthew Korzelius

      It does, however, have the new Decapitated record. So there’s that.

    • http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com Alkahest

      I dont even think that’s out yet.

      • Metalguy

        His point is it leaked. And early free material will always take precedent over paid later stuff

  • Brian Roach

    on the fence, this is appealing, but i still like to physically own stuff, or at least files on a computer, and between ITunes, torrents, and pandora, not sure if their is a market for this?

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Matthew-Korzelius/44205211 Matthew Korzelius

      torrents AREN’T a market…pandora picks your songs (and repeats them ad nauseum) for you, and nobody can really afford to truly “buy” all the music they would like to hear on itunes…This allows you to actually take the music with you without actually “buying” every song. I’m totally in.

    • Kuranes

      Pandora sucks.

  • http://www.gunhorse.com greg

    My 2 cents: Spotify is pretty cool –however, this is just another option for a (legal) music streaming service/platform: i.e. MOG, iTunes, Rhapsody, Rdio, RadicalFM, LastFM, Pandora. Etc. (I personally like MOG – only $5 a month, but has limitations.)

    What’s not “technically” legal: turntable.fm, grooveshark, limewire, bitTorrent, and others. (Which are all very cool too, but shouldn’t be compared directly.)

    What IS neat about this–is the social sharing aspect between facebook and Spotify. It’s about your playlists, and being social–Which iTunes & “PING”, (remember that?) never got right. I works better, it’s faster and it’s an alternative. So, if this is you bag, try it out.

    The reason why some music is on some sites and not others has to do with the label agreements. So, the argument that this service sucks because an album isn’t listed is that music labels fault, not really the service. (DRM, Licensing, or just a shitty label that can’t figure out how to publish the music you want to listen to.)

    And with that, go listen to some independent music and support the artist directly, and not some label exec.

  • Johnny

    I just got the premium today, I think its fucking sick. Definitely a step in the right direction. Theirs a shitload of material to listen to on here, including a lot of ‘rare’ or ‘uncommon’ material from certain artists. Their are about 5 albums that I thought would be on the service that aren’t yet, but it’s still in the baby stages so I can be patient and wait.

    About the sound quality, I don’t get why some people are bitching. The quality is great, nothing that I would complain about. And before anyone replies to me saying that commenting I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m an audio engineer so I know what a good quality recording sounds like.

    • Ryan

      your avatar is awesome

      • Johnny

        spank you

  • John Thearson

    Wait until artists find out they are getting hardly any money from Spotify.

    Spotify = scamming artists.

    • Hetal

      It’s not about the artists getting paid, it’s about the LABELS getting paid.

      Silly.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Micah-Ramchandani/691623100 Micah Ramchandani

    I got a free invite from http://www.spotify.com/us/coca-cola/ if anyone wants in on that while it’s still available.
    And must say that it is quite impressive. I came across a few things that I was surprised it didn’t have though. I was so eager to hear All Shall Perish’s new guitarist’s album, but they don’t have it. I’m not really able to complain though…selection is pretty good anyway. At least I have a better idea if I want something before I spend money or whatever.

  • Tugboat

    Or you can just use Google Music for free.