After some time after the promised return of blogging, I have decided to try and breathe new life into threestripes. The key, I think, will be to just write and post, and not worry too much about writing super-polished pieces. I can, and will, leave that to much better writers than myself.
Regarding the title, I think its best to write my first blog post in a long time about my latest obsession: Spotify. In case you have been living under a rock for the past week or so, Spotify is a new music client that is blowing up on the interwebs. Its been going strong in select parts of Europe for a few years now, and only last week had a soft opening in the USA. And thank God for that, because this thing is fucking amazing.
I won't pretend to know too much about how it works, go in detail about features (their site does a good job of that), or any of that; I just want to convince you, dear reader, that if you do not have the client on your computer or mobile device now, to get your hands on an invite and sign up. And for those of you who have signed up but do not actively use it, to GET THE FUCK WITH THE PROGRAM. Spotify is a gift, The Truth, and something you should make a part of your life.
Why am I so crazy high on Spotify? I think there are two main reasons, really. The first is how it satisfies my appetite for music almost perfectly. I am not the type of person to go out and BUY an album in person or on iTunes (I'm looking at you, catty melt). My desire for music just doesn't cross the necessary threshold for justifying an investment greater than looking for a catchy tune on YouTube. This behavior, predictably, left me in a bit of a music box (no, not this kind, though the ballerinas are pretty), but rather one where my iTunes library was trapped in a pre-2007 bubble (the last time I bought new music) and the only new songs I listened to were invariably catchy Top40.
But with Spotify Free (the bottom rung of the three-tired Spotify pricing scheme), I don't really have to invest more than the same searching/streaming time I would otherwise do on YouTube. Users like me also get the added benefit of being able to hear the entire albums from which our preferred jams originated. Spotify further suggests songs/artists that are similar to the ones you are listening to, which provided another helping hand out of my music box. Sharing with friends, catching onto musical zeitgeists, and other features only further bolster the impressive nature of the service.
The fact that I am possibly considering obtaining a paid version of the service is the second reason why I am so high on Spotify. This idea backs up so much of what has been said in some circles about "building the brand" and other such novel approaches to content distribution and pricing. By "novel approaches" I mean those approaches that do not fit into the normal pay for album/game/movie paradigm, instead opting for some form of alternate payment scheme (sometimes, even, no payment!). From a business perspective its kinda brilliant: by giving away this content, a free taste of the full range of possibilities, Spotify might transform a virtual non-consumer of music into a guy forking over about $60 bucks a year for his musical needs. $0 to $60 in less than a week of trying the service out. I know I am not the typical case, but I wouldn't be surprised if conversions like mine are a reason for the ultimate wild success of this platform.
Anyways, I could go on, but in the interests of brevity I will sum up my position on Spotify: Do It.
Coke is doing it to you on the invites, so hook it up: https://www.spotify.com/us/coca-cola/
