Streaming and subscription music services are a dime a dozen on iPhone, and they seem to get past Apple's app store approval hurdles with relative ease. But Spotify was one whose fate wasn't so clear cut, given its offline playlist function -- which as the name suggests downloads songs ahead of time for you to listen to when there's no WiFi or phone service to stream from -- could very easily fall into the category of
"duplication of core iPhone functionality" and get deep-sixed at the drop of a hat. Turns out that's not the case here, as an Apple spokesperson has told
paidContent UK that the app's been given the metaphorical stamp of approval and would be hitting the store "very soon." A premium subscription will run about £9.99 ($16.20) per month, with an option to pay annually coming at a later date. Of course, there's a catch, as Spotify's service is only available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, France and Spain for now. The company expects to invade America sometime later this year, but that means another round of app store approvals -- and with Apple's
track record on consistency, there's no telling how that'll turn out.
posted Aug 27th 2009 5:31PM
I am no.1 in the playlist :)
Apple probably doesn't feel threatened any more by subscription services (if they ever were) and gets a piece of both pies by allowing these apps. Spotify will likely eat up the remaining share claimed by Rhapsody when it migrates worldwide. It has some strong backers.
Apple will get no piece of the pie as they're giving the app away on the store, just requiring a subscription which Apple gets nothing from.
@James:
Enjoy browsing the web on the iPhone in complete silence since you cant run Spotify and another application like Safari at the same time.
@Ruben - come on, man.
James is obviously a strawman troll - you know, the people who pretend to be a fan of a particular company or device, and who then deliberately act in an outrageously immature and offensive way, with the intention of assigning a bad reputation to the fans of said company or device and - by association - the company or device itself.
Anyway, no matter what James' intentions, they're clearly a troll, and best left alone because replying to a troll with a witty, cutting, totally factual or convincing comment ... is just food to them.
Thank you FCC!
Read the article. This isn't for the US. Unless you think the FCC is investigating the app store for other countries, in which case you're just stupid.
aw, yeah i jumped the gun on that comment... But you never know. This is a good sign anyway.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple was concerned about the EU. They slapped Microsoft and Intel with massive fines. I'm sure there chomping at the bit to fine Apple. I think American tech companies are the EU's ATM.
@LGH
LGH, you are a moron. The EU has fined many more European companies than your precious *two* American ones! And the European companies have not gone around complaining that they were fined!
What a whiny bitch you are. When you will you get that Europe has the *right* to determine what is illegal in Europe! If American companies break the law here, they have to pay like anyone else! You act as if American companies should be above the law!
Your nationalist rationale of "robbery" is nothing short of racism and utter ignorance! American nationalists are nothing short of facists.
The EU is the world's largest economy, larger than the US (>1 trillion). They don't need your American money, just companies that abide by *local* laws!
@Andrew
Whoa.
He didn't jump the gun at all. Apple is clearly shaking in their boots with all the bad pub over the last 6 weeks. Apple would have nixed this thing 3 months ago.
Probably wont make it in the US..
It's a bit tragic, this only happens because the FCC is on apples ass and the american's don't get the application.
well, thanks anyway!
Wow, unbelievable, thanks FCC indeed!
Err, when did the FCC start regulating other countries? Thats right... THEY DON'T!
can't wait for antitrust investigations into apple... wait, MS doesn't allow competition =bad
but when apple does it, you know to "enhance the user experience" then it's good.
"this message is brought to you by Microsoft"
It's all about marketshare... Windows is a dominating product, iphone is just a smartphone.
Amazing, I've been waiting for this for months. Have been a keen free user since it launched, the ad's are not at all intrusive and all that music for free is simply mind blowing. Count me in as going premium for at least one month while i try this out.
Spotify still isn't available in the US so I'm not surprised that Spotify iPhone app isn't available.
Having Spotify in the UK makes up for not being allowed to have Pandora.
@Jamie
I like your comment. It's like saying "Having gourmet food in the UK makes up for not being allowed McDonald's".
I miss Pandora and even paid for a subscription when it was a global service. I can get it at work because our corporate network seems to route itself through the US and therefore Pandora is quite happy to play but I can't get it at home. Unfortunately, Spotify isn't available here either so I'm doubly buggered.
When you see Sportify, Vonage, Rhapsody, Sirius, TomTom, etc developing apps for iPhone, you
know iPhone has become the de facto platform for smartphone.
There is definitely no de facto smartphone platform. Continuing to believe smartphones will settle like the PC business is not recognizing that phones are in many ways have much more penetration than PCs, and have a need to reflect the owner more so.
You might have a point if Spotify, Vonage, Rhapsody etc were only developing for iPhone, but they don't. Drink your Applejuice before it ferments.
Third party developers can't support 5 different platforms. The market has spoken and iPhone has been chosen.
Like it or not iPhone IS the de facto standard for smartphone, just like what iPod for the MP3 player.
You have chosen your platform and that's ok. Glad you enjoy it. Just don't delude yourself into thinking that the market is just one person (a.k.a you).
It doesn't matter what diehard fans think. This includes you and me. :) What really matter is what
the market thinks. Another word, look at these companies who put money where their mouth is.
That speaks louder than what you or I can whine here. :)
You do realize all those companies develop, and have been developing, for other smartphone platforms. The fact that they're just now developing for the iPhone is kind of silly.
When you see these applications already exist or are beign written for the other platforms you can see that it's not. A healthy slice of the pie, yes, dominance, no.
Finally europeans get the first piece of the pie!
How does this work? Just saying that I live in the good ole US of A and I am and have been running Spotify for weeks now. Yes, past the 12 days of overseas travel limitation (I got the notice in spotify, but it was easily fixed with a UK proxy). I don't have an iPhone, so this is just a friendly heads up. Does the iPhone app have a proxy feature, or does it rely on the desktop app in some way? If so, hope may not be lost.
Ok, I was going to wait it out for the Zune HD - not anymore. With no word yet of when (or if) it's going to be released in Europe, I have the distinct feeling that I could be waiting a while. However after seeing this app it has completely changed my mind =D Spotify is brilliant, and although I don't use the paid version atm, £10 a month seems a small price to pay to have access to nearly all the music in the world!
That's a good sign for the Rhapsody app to get approved. That would nice to see that happen, not sure how many other people have an iPod touch and rhapsody to go account, but I would love to see it.
Matter of fact, that might even be enough for me to finally ditch WinMo and break down and get an iPhone. Can't believe I'm actually thinking that.
"subscription music services are a dime a dozen on iPhone"
Can you give me some examples?
Thank you, I thought I was the only crazy person.
Rhapsody is coming soon, and now Spotify. What other subscription services?
Streaming = lala, pandora, blah blah
I agree. I love my iPhone but would drop it like a sack of crap if a Zune HD Phone came out!
Stupid reply system. I was responding to:
Rauha @ Aug 27th 2009 6:39PM
You have chosen your platform and that's ok. Glad you enjoy it. Just don't delude yourself into thinking that the market is just one person (a.k.a you).
so is this offline features playlist kinda like the thing you get with a zunepass in the US where you can dowload as much as you want to listen to offline?
Why would anybody buy something made by this company when they do shit like this!
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/08/27/apple-to-iphone-developers-please-make-your-apps-less-useful/
This is really good news. I'm hoping that Apple is going to approve a lot more applications now because of how much scolding they've received by everyone, but we'll see.
I see around 25 million iphones were sold since its introduction, and there are about 307 million americans, but of course they sell worldwide and the EU alone has something like 490 million people (although like in the US many could not afford an iphone or are the wrong age).
Anyway my goal is to point out that only a few percent (if that many) of people have working iphones and that certain mad iphone fans running certain blogs should not completely forget that.
You forgot the best kept secret device. That is iPod Touch. Yeap, they have sold more than iPhone.
cant wait till this service put up on android and google get up off there fat asses and figure out multi touch or i will download the sense ui from some dodgy website
Happy days!
Finally! I´ve never thougt Apple would approve an app that almost replaces the iPod/Itunes function entierly. Thumbs up for Apple(or the ones who made them approve it).
how nice that apple has approved an app for a service that's not even publicly available yet.
do any yanks want an invite to spotify?
you get them when you pay for the service, and i think i have about 6 or 8 or something.
let me know.
I like the fact that Apple would allow the app. Do you think it will make it to the US? If they pass the Rhapsody app in the US, but not allow playlists for off-line (no 3G or WiFi connection) use and listening, why would they allow a Spotify app in the US that does just that???
I am a Rhapsody-To-Go subscriber. This is how I get all my music. I don't buy CD's anymore. I don't buy MP3's. I pay $15.00 USD every month to listen to what ever I want, any time I want. I don't, nor want to, worry about the safety or storage of my music collection. It's in the cloud.
I only paid $89 for my Sony Walkman 8 gig (1/4 size of iPod Touch). I plug it in to recharge and update my music every couple days.
From a music stand point, Apple will not get my $$ until they offer the same (or better)