Spotify allows you to listen to music over the Internet
without the hassle of downloading MP3 files and backing them up.
Unlike other streaming services, however, Spotify offers an
ad-supported free option, which makes millions of albums and songs available to
you through the Spotify desktop client. You’re not limited to pre-selected
playlists like Pandora; you can pick and choose single tracks and entire albums
for a full listening experience.
The Spotify Player connects to your Spotify account and is
similar to Apple’s iTunes music player. The Spotify jukebox opens as a music browser
displaying New Releases and a feed of shared music by your friends on Facebook
and Spotify.
The social networking Feed for Spotify can be very useful
because depending on the friends you choose to be a part of your feed. It means
they become your virtual DJs and you can become theirs; for the music choices
of your friends will likely help you discover new music you don’t have in your
collection.
The similar Rdio.com service for example takes better
advantage of the social networking approach, for when you open its player or go
to the website, you’re presented with a “Heavy Rotation” of songs and albums by
friends in your network. You can also choose friends beyond your Facebook
account.
Another useful feature in Spotify is the ability to
star/favorite individual tracks and albums. Though you can’t rate songs with
1-5 stars as you can in iTunes, it’s nice to be able to quickly label you
favorite tracks and access them with a single click.
If you become a heavy Spotify user, you’ll be happy to know
that the application links all your local MP3 files so that you can access your
existing downloads and playlists from within the Spotify player. Unfortunately,
however, Spotify doesn’t include smart
playlists, in which can create automatic playlists based on rules you set.
The other features you get with a Spotify account is the
ability to share what you’re listening to with your friends on Facebook and
Twitter; access to the MP3s you already have downloaded in your computer; and
14-day access to your Spotify account while you’re visiting another country.
by Bakari Chavanu
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