Should Apple allow Spotify iPhone App?

[Darcie]

Spotify, much to their users delight, has submitted an iPhone application of it's service. It will allow playlists to be stored and members to listen to the music offline as well as on. This service will only be allowed for premium members (paying £9.99/month).

Would Apple be in the wrong place if they didn't allow the app? Would it actually hurt iTunes in the fact that I know no one who pays for the premium Spotify service or will the Spotify iPhone app make the premium membership worth it?

[Gordon Langford]

I think the price for the premium service is quite steep and will probably stop alot of people using it on the iPhone but if they don't address their business model in some way Spotify will probably disappear, which would be a great shame.

I think I would consider it if it was under a fiver a month.

Does paying for the premium service only remove the ads or do you get anything else?
I actually quite like the ads : )

[Darcie]

Online the premium service gets you 'Roberta/Jonathan' free music, faster kbps, radio channels, pre-releases and sharing playlists.

The iPhone app will only work for premium users and the Spotify application will work over Wi-Fi and also 3G mobile phone data networks, which is a big deal b/c other services (i.e. skype) don't.

[Gordon Langford]

Thanks for the info

The fact it works over 3G is a big deal! It would greatly increase its usability but then any streamed media is constrained by it's network so it'll be interesting to see how well it works on 3G. The faster kbps is for sending higher quality music and my ears are not at the connoisseur level (as I'm sure most listener's ears are not) so again not a reason to upgrade. Pre-releases might be worth it but not a every month.

Don't get me wrong, I would love Spotify on my iPhone but I'd rather pay for the App then extra services as and when I need them via in-app-purchase. If they charge for Spotify they would make millions just off the sales of the app but the service has to be more attractive and flexible to the user, especially since the free service on your PC or Mac is so good.

[Darcie]

Don't get me wrong, I would love Spotify on my iPhone but I'd rather pay for the App then extra services as and when I need them via in-app-purchase. If they charge for Spotify they would make millions just off the sales of the app but the service has to be more attractive and flexible to the user, especially since the free service on your PC or Mac is so good.

I agree. I think Apple also has an issue with the fact that the songs won't have an in-app option to purchase from iTunes. I wonder if Spotify would alter that just to have it put through...

I use spotify when I don't have my own set list with me or want to hear something I haven't heard in ages. For me, I don't think it will replace my itunes - and I'm not about to attempt to recreate my library on spotify!

[Stuart Cosgrove]

Yes they should although it may harm another part of their increasingly diverse business they also have to make sure apps continue to have a sense of 'openess' much of the historic hatred of Microsoft was becasue of the their proprietary control over sytems and platforms. So yes.

[Ben Seven]

I doubt Spotify would add a 'Purchase in iTunes' option to the mobile app, as their desktop purchase partner is 7Digital - who wouldn't be too pleased I would think!

Should Apple allow it through? Probably. They can't stifle the fact that Spotify is a bit of a game-changer (or at least is trying to be), even if they disallow it in the App store it's still going to have some level of success purely down to the brilliance of the desktop app.

Will Apple allow it through? We've seen them be more fickle in the past, but with every App Store rejection that seems unfair there's a growing clamour for a more transparent approval process and guidelines, and a rising anger about rejected apps. I wonder if for the sake of PR Apple are going to be under a lot of pressure to let it through as it has such a large following on the desktop already. I don't think I'd buy a premium account to gain access - the iPhone's battery life is already shonky enough as it is, and I'd rather listen for free on the desktop and then go buy the CD!

[Gordon Langford]

I concur,

Local copies rule over streamed media and probably always will. A neat idea though, you hear a tune for free and want it for your holidays to deepest darkest no internet land you should have the option to buy it. How have Roberta and Johnathon missed that one, is it just a question of infrastructure?

Itunes library! Lets write an application to import your itunes playlist to Spotify automatically, anyone up for it...?

Paying for it I mean - I still have to eat! : )

[Ben Seven]

One question is, does it really challenge iTunes? iTunes is a 'browse, buy, store, listen and take with you' ecosystem. It doesn't really lend itself to discovering new music or sampling music as an interface, which is primarily what I would think folk use Spotify for on the desktop - it's more like the radio. Is Spotify really leading to enough of a downturn in digital music purchase that Apple could see it as a threat to iTunes? Surely the majority would still rather own their music collection?

[Stuart Cosgrove]

Apple has banned iPhone applications based on Google's Voice system, saying they are too close to what the handset already offers. Google confirmed its own official app was also rejected.

Probably not good newss for Spotify

[Gordon Langford]

Is that for new apps? I have a Google voice search app on my phone.

Hold on I better check Apple haven't removed it... nope it's still there.

It may not be using the same technology, I shall investigate...

[Gordon Langford]

Yes it is quite different!

How can they block this and allow Skype?? Again, Apple showing us and the big players who's ball it is!

Fingers crossed they see sense with Spotify. The question is, is it the Apps that sell the phone or the phone that sells the Apps?

[Darcie]

You're right about the sampling part, as far as I'm aware, but they did add the Genius mod to itunes, which allows you to find & purchase similar music to your tastes - like last.fm but through itunes (and you have to pay).


Ben Seven said:

One question is, does it really challenge iTunes? iTunes is a 'browse, buy, store, listen and take with you' ecosystem. It doesn't really lend itself to discovering new music or sampling music as an interface, which is primarily what I would think folk use Spotify for on the desktop - it's more like the radio. Is Spotify really leading to enough of a downturn in digital music purchase that Apple could see it as a threat to iTunes? Surely the majority would still rather own their music collection?