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Why I use Spotify:
It launches in under 5 seconds
I can immediately hear something I want to hear in near perfect quality
I can make playlists
I can share playlists with others
I can create collaborative playlists
I can get quick info on bands and their other releases
Why I don't use iTunes anymore unless I have to:
It launches in way over 5 seconds
I've lost everything in it and I'm fed up housekeeping
It's a 'fat' client and uses resources, unlike Spotify, which is super lean
I can't share playlists
I can't create collaborative playlists
There is no real info on bands
** The only real reason I use iTunes is to get stuff into my iPhone. But within a few years, even this will seem 'quaint'
Also:
I am never offline, not even on my iPhone - and not many people are nowadays
I want music when I simply think of it, not just whether I 'own' or 'have a copy' of it
The only thing that is monetizable now is convenience - services that are transparent and allow people to interact and socialise with music in ways that they want are not that hard to charge for, and people don't mind adverts if the SERVICE is good
I used to use YouTube to find songs that just popped in my head, and now I use Spotify because it's better audio quality, and I can bookmark, and share
Merlin:
I have all the paperwork and ftp details on how to get our stuff up on Spotify sitting on my desktop. Merlin represents the independents and has a deal in place with Spotify. If you want to get your stuff up on Spotify, join Merlin and they will forward you the details on how to get it working.
Money:
Spotify is very new. It's going to take a while before advertisers jump on board - it's new for them too. It needs to prove that people love it before it can start bringing in serious money, but it's the best model out there by miles.
Ownership:
I'm done with owning things. It's not convenient. I don't own U Can't Touch This. I can watch it on YouTube. I know where it is. Heck, I can bookmark it. I can watch it on my iPhone streaming off the 'net. Why the heck would I want to download it and fill up my iPhone with stuff that's instantly accessible from the cloud? It's not going anywhere. I can't lose it.
Done with ownership. It's not useful, or fun, or interactive, or any of the things that 21st Century social networking is about. I don't mind paying for the tools. But the next generation of music lovers is hardly going to understand the concept of 'owning' music. When we're all old and grey, our children will laugh at us going through our hard drives of 'downloaded' music which we get hold of 'back in the day of mp3s'.
Next.
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