snivilisationism said:
Spotify and Facebook joining up is good for both parties. I can't imagine Spotify will be paying anything (I may be wrong).
It's undoubtedly good for both parties.
For Spotify it opens up a huge potential market and further extends their brand presence and customer awareness.
But you may ask yourself what's in it for Facebook?
Spotify would be worth nothing to them unless there was something coming in return.
You simply have to look at what Facebook is all about, its raison d'etre if you like. Social networking is just a vehicle for its primary purpose, which is marketing personal data and this is where the bulk of its income comes from.
I would wager a bet that Spotify (and others who've done a similar deal) have signed up to access of personal data, possibly financial data and listening habits, for the use of Facebook and its vast array of analytical tools.
snivilisationism said:
The fact is, that (for the UK at least), Spotify is the largest, and best in terms of SQ.
It is now certainly now the largest and the one with the biggest brand awareness, although when talking about it with half a dozen work colleagues the other day (all but one in the 22-31 age range) only one person had ever heard of it !
SQ wise, the 320kbps service is only available on the highest Premium tariff. Otherwise it's 160kbps. In fact there's still quite a bit of 160kbps content on the Premium service too.
Regardless, I agree Spotify offers one of the best options SQ wise.
However there are other providers who have a 320kbps Premium service too (e.g. Deezer), so Spotify are not alone in this regard.
We7 provide 192 kbps at all levels of service. Not as good as 320 kbps on Premium, but better that 160 kbps on the other levels of service.
In the USA there are a wealth of competing options. MOG seems to get a much better write up and they provide a complete 320 kbps service.
snivilisationism said:
It's strugglingi financially itself, so I'm not convinced of the long-term survival of rival services.
The incredible growth and expansion into other areas is pushing Spotify into a major brand. They are getting the service integrated in home audio and AV devices, making it available through TV, internet and mobile carriers (e.g. Virgin Media). But mostly, the launch into the USA with an attendant big PR push and the tie-up with Facebook, will see them grow considerably. If they don't start to make money, something is seriously wrong.
I'm also not convinced of the viability of some of the rival services, even those with (IMHO) a better service model. There's already some "rationalisation" going on in the US market.
One dark cloud on the horizon is the increasing withdrawl by a number of minor record labels, from licencing music for use by streaming services. Several labels covering niche areas like Metal, Hip Hop, Dance and Classical, have recently pulled out and some of the large labels are known to be jittery about their own financial prospects if streaming starts to put a dent in download sales (...and they've only just about come to terms with that market !).
snivilisationism said:
....as I like the Facebook integration.
OK fine.
However there are a lot of people who no interest, or no intention of going anywhere near Facebook, many of who might like to try a service like Spotify or Deezer etc.
.