Born in Sweden, Spotify has quickly traveled overseas to create an international fan base among music lovers. The live streaming music application now boasts over ten million users globally, thanks to the compelling combination of extensive custom options and a huge catalogue of songs.
The Spotify application, available in desktop and mobile versions, plays tracks live based on user preferences and search criteria. Spotify’s rich combination of user features include extensive services available to free members, massive options for searching and combining music to generate playlists, a colossal music library and fully integrated multiple platform and social networking options.
Free Features
Users who log in to Spotify via their Facebook profile receive a free six month trial of Spotify. Free users can also search for an artist or album and listen to music through the desktop Spotify application. While the free desktop version does contain advertisements, members can create as many custom playlists as they wish. There are also no skip limits, meaning both paid and gratis members are free to skip through as many songs as they choose
Playing Music and Creating Playlists
Spotify allows users to create their own music playlists based on an album, artist or genre. Users can search for music based on everything from specific artist and album names to record label, genre and other playlists. The search function also allows users to search their own music and music received by others, in addition to Spotify’s music catalogue. Both premium and free members have the option of adding search parameters to include or exclude certain artists or tracks from a search.
Music Catalogue and Library
Spotify’s extensive music library has millions of songs from major and independent record labels, making it a favorite among music junkies. According to Spotify, it would take over 80 years of listening to tracks end on end to listen to every song in their music catalogue.
Spotify can also play music tracks already have stored on home computers or flash drives, allowing users to combine their favorite existing tunes and local music with those found in Spotify’s catalogue to create the ultimate music library.
Platforms and Social Networking
The desktop software for Spotify is compatible on both Windows and Mac computers. Premium paid users can also opt to utilize the Spotify mobile applications and utilize Spotify’s services free of advertisements. Spotify social, a built in component for both paid and free users, allows sharing across a variety of social networking groups. There’s a variety of mobile apps available for paid users, and even a way to integrate Spotify into a home audio system.
Spotify is completely integrated into Facebook, allowing users to instantly share what they’re listening to with friends and family or listen to tracks shared by other users. There are also built in buddy list and people list features, which gives members the option of following their favorite music buffs and browsing their playlists. Users also have the option of integrating their Spotify account with other music sites, like Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
