Spotify

[Buckwheet]

So, got in today, really enjoyed it at first.

Then I realized that there is nothing quite like Music Genome of Pandora to load the playlists.

So I would have to build it myself, which to be quite honest, is time consuming.

Not 100% sold on it yet, at least not for the $10 a month option. But I did find it cool that I could find I song that I wanted to hear right now and play it as opposed to Pandora.

Anyone else give it a try? Thoughts?

[kookiegod]

Not yet, I do subscribe to Pandora, and after over 2 years, I hear nothing I don't like and it puts in enough new stuff I enjoy I don't miss radio.

10 per month? a LOT more than pandora.

~Paul

[Gizmo]

Grooveshark is good also, and free or subscription depending on what functions you want etc.

Although I'm not sure how large the database is for it, it was pretty nifty for the services I saw, and even has playlist contests alot from Sponsors where you build a setlist, and submit it for a chance to win stuff

[Buckwheet]

Tried GS as well, and without Genome it was annoying.

And yeah its a lot more expensive than Pandora, I have been a paying customer of Pandora for 2.5 years or so and as you said, I rarely to never, hear anything I don't like. When I do, its because I add an artist who released a single song that I liked and the rest is garbage.

[g++]

I like it and Im willing to pay the 10 bucks. I also spend 11+ hours a day handcuffed to a computer screen for work with headphones and 2 hours a day commuting so music is kind of important for me. I havent tried the free invite for spotify out because Im kind of already hooked on the pay version but I got an invite yesterday so I might give it a shot just to see if its worth canceling and using the free one. I think the only difference between free and pay is devices but Im not sure on that.

[Buckwheet]

I like it and Im willing to pay the 10 bucks. I also spend 11+ hours a day handcuffed to a computer screen for work with headphones and 2 hours a day commuting so music is kind of important for me. I havent tried the free invite for spotify out because Im kind of already hooked on the pay version but I got an invite yesterday so I might give it a shot just to see if its worth canceling and using the free one. I think the only difference between free and pay is devices but Im not sure on that.

Devices and sound quality.

[kookiegod]

Tried GS as well, and without Genome it was annoying.

And yeah its a lot more expensive than Pandora, I have been a paying customer of Pandora for 2.5 years or so and as you said, I rarely to never, hear anything I don't like. When I do, its because I add an artist who released a single song that I liked and the rest is garbage.

Its funny, i was like one of the first subscribers when they went to the pay model and talked in a bunch of emails to the founder who is a heck of a nice guy, but I was on something like 14 hours a day, and I just whipped out the plastic to pay for what I get in value, its so worth it.

Having said that, I should at least give this a listen.

~Paul

[Cephalopod]

Okay, so someone give me a rundown here. People have been trying to cram Spotify down my throat as the next best thing since sliced Wonderbread. I don't see it.

Is the consensus that if I'm happy with Pandora (and I have been for years), that I shouldn't bother?

[CrystalTears]

Some are saying it's better than Pandora. My friend sent me an invite to Spotify but I haven't activated it yet. I just don't stream music that much, definitely not enough to justify paying monthly for that service. The invite is for the free, ad-ridden, computer-only version so maybe this weekend I'll look into it.

[Buckwheet]

So far the only two things superior to Pandora for me has been:

1. On demand song choice, you want to listen to a certain song right now and you just search for it and play it, and you can repeat it. Which you can't do with Pandora.

2. Larger musical selection that Pandora.

But the list building is very tedious.

[septus]

I switched from mog to spotify premium when it came out. I mostly listen to it by streaming through a squeezebox at home or at work through headphones. Mog has a better selection, but I feel that spotify has better quality. (Which might be a placebo, since they both tout 320kbps and I'd be surprised if they don't have the same mp3s on the server since they should be provided by the labels)

I'd say if you're interested in a random radio function, Pandora or last.fm is the way to go. If you want to choose what you listen to, spotify is better.. Spotify also has some random radio stuff, but no where near as good as pandora.

[JustDan]

I've been paying for a Rhapsody subscription for years now, and absolutely love it. It was built off of Yahoo Music Plus, and it's on-demand subscription based music. I got my Spotify invite today, but I'm not sold on needing to change. Rhapsody allows me to save playlists, download said playlists to my Android phone for offline listening, and generally keeps me listening to my music for roughly 13 hours a day between commute, work, and tasks around the house in the evenings. I usually have it on headphones while I'm playing GS, even. It's really awesome to be able to look up a particular song that you heard a snippet of on the radio that morning, or a song that a coworker brings up as "Dude, did you hear the new XYZ song?"

I tried Pandora, and while there is something cool to being 'surprised' when it picks something out for you, I always ended up getting a turd in the punchbowl every tenth song or so. They'd queue up a song that I can clearly see matches the genre and characteristics of other songs that I like, but for some reason that one I passionately dislike. That doesn't happen with on-demand music.

I'll probably try Spotify, if only because Rhapsody's music player (and related Android app) is buggy as hell...