Spotify: A New Paradigm?

As a music obsessive, having a disposable is a sublime prospect; that it’s not portable is far from devastating when the sample giveaway is so huge. As a mix CD-giver, being able to limitlessly share playlists is so hugely complementary to the ego-boosting that encircles the desire to make compilations; it’s a snapshot into my taste for the world to see. As a receiver, it’s also sublime – there’s none of the chit-chat of Last.fm, just music.

Does this change or eradicate the need for music reviews, though? Or does it just make certain of their purpose: a time-saving measure. The answer is probably that it’s too early to tell… though there’s no harm in finding out more, from more people than me.

Laura Snapes‘ take:

What is it with Sweden? They come up with Ikea, Kopparberg Summer Fruits cider, it’s the country that bore Jens Lekman, and now they’ve invented Spotify, which is so genius that we can forgive them for Abba and chronic over-use of dill. Within the first hour of having iTunes, I’d already set up playlists of all the classic albums I’ve never quite got around to hearing (have you seen how many Fall and Captain Beefheart albums are on there?!), gone last.fm recommendation crazy, and found b-sides and compilation tracks from my favourite artists that I didn’t even know existed. Yeah, not everything’s on it, but to dismiss it on those grounds would be hacking off your nose with a pair of hedge trimmers to spite your own snobbish face.

And as for the music industry’s worries that no-one will ever feel the need to buy a CD again, I’ve actually found myself buying more records since having it, and downloaded far less torrents. I can’t quite pinpoint the psychology behind it, but there’s something about the trusting nature of being given so much for free (aka, being duped by Roberta’s dulcet tones) that makes me think it’s the least I can do to pay the artists back (particularly when they’re apparently only getting £0.02/play). However, this gushing torrent of praise aside, I worry for their longevity with regard to making a profit, thus being able to continue. £9.99/month just to avoid adverts and hear Lady Sovereign’s new single before anyone else isn’t that enticing an offer. I’d like to see them develop a stratagem similar to that of eMusic, whereby you can cash in your subscription fee for legal downloads at the end of each month, and perhaps the option of free downloads which expire after 14 days or so to act as tasters for those not at a desk all day.

Richard Wink‘s take:

I must confess I have illegally downloaded a few albums, sometimes whole back catalogues from old bands. I feel a lot of guilt about this, yet since I’ve joined Spotify I haven’t ‘stolen’ any music. There is simply no need, mainly because the streaming from Spotify is perfect quality. There is also plenty of interaction; I can send my own earnestly compiled playlists, listen to other friends’ playlists, debate about what I’ve just heard.

The stumbling block is that the service isn’t portable. Should Spotify sort out a phone application to stream music then I think a number of others could decrease their illegal downloading activities. Trouble is, the culture of theft is widespread, the days of going up the City and picking through the CD/Vinyl racks in the high street are long gone, music is no longer a tangible product that we paid for the privilege to listen to, now it is something that we believe we are entitled to. But that’s a debate for another occasion.

Spotify is useful in the same way Wikipedia is useful. It’s a great piece of software but you just wonder how it will financially stay afloat. I’m just going to enjoy it while I can.

Rory Gibb‘s take:

Perhaps the most potent effect of a website that effectively allows you to stream any track you want, for free, is to further push music into the realms of free media. The advent of filesharing created a culture where music was something to experience without having to pay – the existence of Spotify both legalises and validates this viewpoint. Whether this is a good thing is largely down to your attitude; the potential downfalls for the business side of the music industry are obvious and have been widely debated, yet the artistic implications are more complex. Making your music instantly available is undoubtedly a fantastic means of gaining greater exposure as an artist. Yet the real concern is that this method of consumption may further promote a culture of instant gratification where an artist may merit only a cursory listen before being tossed if not instantly enjoyed. This is certainly a negative point, as anyone who has gradually discovered the treasures of an initially impenetrable record can attest to.

I have joined and used Spotify, but I haven’t personally found that I return to it regularly. A large portion of my listening is through my mp3 player whilst commuting, and the rest tends to be on vinyl or CD, so the computer doesn’t have much of a look-in. Its increasing popularity suggests that I may soon be in the minority.

Jonno Hopkins‘ take:

There was a time when, having contemplated the abrasive ear crap I’d have to endure upon arriving at some tawdry student party, I’d rarely go without carrying my trusty MP3 player. While music I didn’t like would play through tinny laptop speakers, stirring no one but the vapid dolts dressed as Ghostbusters, I’d swiftly unravel all manner of wires, adapters and FM transmitters, much like a diminutive pirate radio DJ, and unleash a wealth of pant jiggling esoteric goodness.

While this would momentarily sally the corner dwelling indie-types such as myself, it wouldn’t be long before some wretch would decide to skim through all my tracks, fingering my jog wheel as if it were a children’s toy, only to accidently begin playing some horrendously embarrassing space filler I’d put on my music device.

Currently, my favoured method of aural party sabotage works on a much more diplomatic methodology, and it comes in the form of Spotify.

I must admit that I was a late jumper on the Spotify wagon. I’d always preferred Pandora over Last.fm, and prior to hearing a track fully, I’d simply gamble on the worth of a CD before having heard it. I’d heard a little about Spotify, initially passing it off as another Muxtape-style flash in the pan. It was when my Dad phoned me up to ask if I’d used it, to which I replied, “Of course I have, Dad…like, duh!” Shortly after I downloaded it, and have since to play a track from my hard drive.

In case you’ve been living under a gigantic rock for the past three months, Spotify facilitates the streaming of complete albums with only the minor encumbrance of a few short ads every four to five songs. This has proved to be a bit of a sour point to some people, and to those people I say, get over it, if you don’t want ads, then pay. Spotify uses an Ogg Vorbis codec, which allows for a high compression rate using relatively low bandwidth. In other words, it’s good quality sounding tunes with little chance of delay.

While you can’t take a specific playlists with you, you can copy the URL of a playlist, and send it to your friends. Being that most of us can access email anywhere these days, I often send myself a copy of the URIs to my own email and then load them onto a friend’s lappy. This has the two-fold effect of spreading good music around, and also gently coercing those who haven’t yet adopted Spotify to do so quick time.

Much brouhaha has been aimed at the fact that, what with iPhones and such being far more commonplace, services like Spotify have sounded the final death knell for purchasing music. It’s reasonable that record companies would be anxious about it, having seen their profits plunge over the last five years. However, with recent research showing that those who initially pirate music being much more likely to purchase it legally, is this trend set to continue with streaming music. I for one prefer to listen to music on a CD, purely due to the fact that I think an album should be a linear experience listened to at the highest quality. That’s just me.

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