Spotify - any good?

Anyone here use Spotify?

I am wondering if it is worth the £10 per month fee?
Are there any glaring omissions regarding musical styles? Is it just rock and pop or is world music, jazz etc covered?
How reliable is it?

I am wanting the ad free version because I want to use the mobile app to stream music to my phone mainly at work, but also at home from time to time.

Does Spotify signify the end to CD buying apart from those bands you really love?

So many questions - anyone got any advice, opinions etc.
Cheers

PS - also, what's the sound quality like?

Mr_K wrote:

Does Spotify signify the end to CD buying apart from those bands you really love?

No. It's made me discover/buy a lot more.

In answer to the question, I've never subscribed so couldn't comment on the worth, I've never had any reliability issues, and the library is huge with all bases covered.

I use it a lot to listen to albums i used to love, but now can't find and making big playlists!

Wee bit OT, but all the Spotify 'news' hoorah today about linking Facebook & iTunes so that you can share music & playlists with friends seems a bit after the fact. Last.fm were doing that ages ago.

funnily enough there was a thread about this today on my other online home. I have it on all the time at work, although I've never used the ad-free version - no need as I don't have an iphone, I'm always online and the ads don't bother me. I sometimes use we7 if something's not been released on spotify yet, but they do seem to be a lot more on the ball with new releases lately (for example the new Futureheads album - released Monday and available on Spotify straight away).

And like Misspelt Yoof I'm buying a lot more music due to Spotify - I've purchased more music in the last 12 months than in the previous five years.

I've been using Spotify (the free version with adverts) for the last 12 months for the following two reasons:

1. To check out new stuff that I've heard about but want to try before I invest
2. To listen to old stuff that I've got on vinyl in the attic (Aztec Camera's debut yesterday)

I use it mainly as a research tool rather than a replacement for my bought music collection and all in all, a combination of Spotify and Myspace sites has meant I've bought considerably more music and been to more gigs in the last 12 months , so I don't think it's killing anything.

Can't comment on quality as I've never had it hooked up to any HiFi kit.

There's a lot on there and it's catching up all the time but you do get a few surprises. (If you search for "Arcade Fire" it asks you if you meant "Armada Fine". For a long time, if you looked for "Besnard Lakes" it asked you if you meant "Bastard Lakes" and when (out of curiosity!!) you said yes, it couldn't find anything.

If you search for the Bastard Lakes now, it asks if you want the Besnards, so they're finally on the map!

It's good but as an addition rather than a replacement.

Oh, if anyone wants to add my Spotify profile, I believe I'm misspeltyoof. It looks a great way to share recommendations, although, I've not had a chance to try since upgrading last night to be honest.

sounds interesting. especially since last.fm abolished full length songs from its site.

but germany is not (yet) supported on spotify. tough luck for me, i guess...

hacmac wrote:

sounds interesting. especially since last.fm abolished full length songs from its site.

Granted, there are some cut-down tracks on Last.fm if you go directly to an artist's page there, but (in the UK) if you listen to neighbourhood or a specific friend's 'radio'/stream, you get full-length tracks - and no ads.

yes, the radio streams on the german site of last.fm still deliver full length tracks, too. my problem is, that until last month you could listen to a *specific* track in full length. well... some tracks, at least. and now they ditched, what i thought was one of the coolest features.
and spotify appears to be quiet an elegant piece of software to listen to complete songs before buying them.

but don't get me wrong - i still love last.fm!
i re-activated my profile only two weeks ago. in fact, i'm trying to convert all my friends to last.fm at the moment.

so, if anybody wants to take a look and say hello...

I've read a lot about Spotify and it sounds quite amazing. Wish I could get it here in the US but no such luck just yet.

I got Spotify when it was spanking new. As Spotify is swedish me and all my mates got it as soon as it was released. It wasn't until two months ago I started paying for Spotify Premium as I got my new Android phone. And I love it. I think Spotify is brilliant

I love the fact that most music is on there (no Beatles or Metallica though, they are not to keen on sharing their music) I always use Spotify to look up artists that are playing at festivals. (like this years Glasto, many small bands I dont know about)

everyday there is more artists and bands being added to the library.

If you got the Premium version the sound quality is better than the free-version.


oh and if anyone wants an invite to use spotify-free, I got 3 more so just give me a shout and i'll email you the invite.