spotify [First Post]

[jackdaw version]

. . . It all feels very cumbersome and I have no sense of discovering anything wonderful as a way of listening. But then I also find iTunes a horrible-looking mess.

Welcome to C21 music listening! I generally share Charlie's reactions. Not that I can use Spotify myself in the US, but various supposed digital improvements in musical exploration have usually left me cold after some initial excitement.

So far, the one to beat for me is eMusic. $20 a month, 90 tracks to download, decent selection although far from everything. Rhapsody not too bad, but hasn't grabbed my heart. Mondomix on the right track, but again doesn't wow me enough. iTunes always refusing to let me get stuff 'cos I'm out of territory. MySpace is just too much work! Pandora gets boring fast and very limited on music I'm interested in. Amazon is improving slowly — sorry about that to those with issues over Amazon. Part of the problem is that digital searching etc. has its limitations — things get tagged wrong or inadequately, and also when you're really looking for the obscure, you're reliant on someone else in the network supplying something that may truly be rare, just 'cos it ain't there doesn't mean it doesn't exist and so as a library, even only as a library catalog, it's not entirely reliable as a guide to "all" music.

I'm waiting for the revival of good old record stores — give me the Berkeley Amoeba in the late '90s! I like the physical world and don't find it as lacking as some do. Especially if there's a pub around the corner.

[Ted]

I tend to use Spotify like I use the radio - turn it on and go and do something else. It's great if you want to immerse yourself in an artists work - the other day I just searched Sonny Boy Williamson and left it running while I worked. Like a very long and very spotty compilation. Lots of stuff I'd never heard before. But lots of stuff. You woudn't want to do it every day, but to get a sort of randomised overview of an artists career its great.

It sort of reminds me of the early days of London's Jazz FM, when it was rumoured that the playlists were chosen by computer - you got completely unsequenced and often wildly innappropriate selections that the DJs had clearly never heard before. You'd get some sopping wet piece of Jazz-funk noodling next to 50s british new-orleans revival followed by some totally out piece of atonal new thing. I actually rather liked it although it grew a bit wearing after a while. Good DJs make a mood and this didn't.
Although I do remember listening with stunned disbelief to the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and Fontella Bass doing "Old Joe" during "drive time". I think the DJ faded it early because it was too much.

[Charlie]

OK, now I'm finally getting to grips with it.

But cannot find Everybody Needs Love by Slim or Smith or anything at all by Swamp Dogg.

[Charlie]

Checking to see if I can share a playlist here; if you have Spotify, can you copy-and-paste this into your web browser and make it work?:

spotify:user:djcharlie:playlist:33q3MRUX5b8qVdVJMeryD2

[Alan]

Works a treat!

Just log into Spotify and paste Charlie's link at the Search icon

spotify:user:djcharlie:playlist:33q3MRUX5b8qVdVJMeryD2

[Charlie]

Works a treat!

Just log into Spotify and paste Charlie's link at the Search icon

Ok, here's another type of link, in duplicate for other lists
Chapter 1: Down on the Farm
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... VdVJMeryD2

Chapter 2:Keep on Running
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... 4NhQuFmOFZ

Chapter 3: Waiting in School
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... Cg4GbeiQjg

Chapter 4: Life Without Music
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... ELQgJ4lyxv

more to follow

[Charlie]

I think once you make the link to my Spotify page you can pick whatever you want from it, so I don't need to keep adding these particular lists.
But having just had shot to see how many tracks from my new compilation are on Spotify, here are the links to what is there (only about a third):

Otro Mundo

CD One:
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... 6bOHRnjwwY

CD Two
http://open.spotify.com/user/djcharlie/ ... 12BrFVfl7a

[ritchie]

check out this ....,

https://www.spotify.com/blog/page/3/

scroll down on the page until you come to the item

Spotify mobile demo for Google Android.

[NormanD]

Not your concern, Ritchie, but worth mentioning. I have had to re-install Spotify twice now. It's downloaded to a laptop, which has the current version of Mac OS, and I don't use this machine on a frequent basis (this desktop Mac runs 10.3, which is too old a programme for Spotify). So, If I've not been on Spotify for a week, or two, the programme doesn't load up again. It just keeps requesting passwords, etc, and idles away.

I'll do another download and see what happens.

[ritchie]

Norman,

I'll pass your message on and let's see what the answer is.

[NormanD]

Thanks, Ritchie.

Spotify is living up to its name - it's everywhere!

1. An acquaintance asked me, "Do you have a computer? There's this really good programme that...."

2. I saw a piece of paper with writing on it on the pavement. As is my wont, I picked it up to read it (I also do this with shopping lists in supermarket trolleys). It was a bookies slip, with two net addresses written on the back: one for a Caribbean news agency, the other for Spotify.

[judith]

with two net addresses written on the back: one for a Caribbean news agency, the other for Spotify.

Hmm, maybe you should keep an eye on that news agency, Norman.

[Adam Blake]

I do find that if I leave Spotify on for any length of time my internet connection keeps crashing. Sometimes I have to restart the router. I don't know why this shoud be but it makes me very wary of using it which is a shame because it's great fun.

I'm using a Mac Desktop OS X. 26 months old. Getting a bit slow...

[Rob Hall]

I've had problems with Spotify too. I put it down to competing grabs at the limited resources on my (WIndows) PC. I sometimes run Spotify alongside iTunes and Internet Explorer (which I may have been using to look at something on YouTube) plus Outlook, etc. My guess is that Spotify grabs a lot of memory/CPU and doesn't necessarily release it for other applications in an orderly manner.

Anyway, whatever the reason, I've had trouble with Spotify to the extent that I only use it if I have good reason to (which is not often) and I generally close other stuff down before I start it up.

[Charlie]

I only use it if I have good reason to (which is not often) and I generally close other stuff down before I start it up.

I have more or less the opposite experience in that Spotify continues to play even after I have shut it down, quite disconcerting

Charlie