• expired

Spotify Now Open to Australia - Free Unlimited Music Streaming

1471

Spotify is a new way to listen to music.

Watch the story about Spotify Millions of tracks, any time you like. Just search for it in Spotify, then play it. Just help yourself to whatever you want, whenever you want it.

A world of music awaits

Think of Spotify as your new music collection. Your library. Only this time your collection is vast: millions of tracks and counting. Spotify comes in all shapes and sizes, available for your PC, Mac, home audio system and mobile phone. Wherever you go, your music follows you.

And because the music plays live, there’s no need to wait for downloads and no big dent in your hard drive.

Music is social

It’s now easier than ever to discover and share music with your friends. Thanks to Spotify and Facebook, you can see and hear what your friends are listening to – just hit play on any music post.

You can also share music with a flick of the wrist. Send it straight to your friends, or post tracks on social networks. It’s how music should be.

Mod — free period appears to be indefinite, i.e. not limited to 6 months.

Related Stores

Spotify
Spotify

closed Comments

  • +4

    Been waiting on this for ages!! But don't think it's a bargain isn't it always free for the base pack?

    • +5

      Pretty sure that's right - the basic level is free, which I believe is unlimited music with ads.

      • -2

        Ads!? Eww yuck

        • Use MVPS host file = no ads :)

        • How you do that?? Link Us!

      • nvm

    • +4

      Thanks a lot Kanga, I just punched my screen because I thought it had a fly on it. You owe me $300

  • Awesome!

  • Anyone else having trouble with the signup link in Chrome?

    • +15

      Ah, IE works.

      And now I see it requires a Facebook account. Screw that.

      • Ditto

      • +2

        I'll add my +1 in here as well.
        I went to sign up, got a "facebook" email and deleted that, and gave up.

        I'll listen to the radio, it's free and has ads as well, and I don't need a stupid facebook account.

        • You're right Sir.

    • I had to disable my ad blocker to get it to load.

      • Weird I have adblock plus and still worked.

        • +1

          apparently adblockplus now screens and let's through ethical ads. see their website for details. you may opt out of all ads if you wish but their approach seems nuanced.

  • +2

    where says 6 month? i can only see 48 hours

    • +1

      Found this in the FAQ:

      http://www.spotify.com/au/help/faq/unlimited/how-much-music-…

      How much music can I play with Spotify Free?
      When you create your Spotify account, for the first six months, you will have unlimited streaming with Spotify Free. After these first six months some limitations apply.
      How much music you can stream

      Starting with 10 hours, your account will then receive a 2.5 hour streaming allocation each week. Any time that you do not use in that week is saved up. Your streaming time can be saved up in this way to a total of 10 hours.

      Streaming time is added to your account each week, on the same day of the week that you created your Spotify account, and at approximately the same time of day.

      • I'm wondering if they've moved to an "ad-supported" free version instead, because there is no other mention of this "free 6 months" on any of the rest of the website, and there is no mention of ad's being played in that FAQ….

        Will be interesting to see what happens in 6 months at least.

        EDIT: Just went hunting in their forums, and it appears that you do in fact get ads during the entire period you are a "free" user.. Still, 6 months is pretty decent for unlimited, free music.

  • +3

    As far as I know it's not limited to 6 months, it's ongoing. It was limited to 6 months in the US when it launched there.

    • That's correct the six months w for the US

  • Created a fake FB account, and made it private, to log in.

    Free for 6 months, then 10 hours free per month, unless you upgrade to a paid account.

    • Where did you get this info? I grabbed the 'free' plan, which apparently just has "occasional" ads..

  • +1

    bout time

  • +1

    I used spotify when I lived in the UK. I eventually moved on to a paid subscription for 6 pounds a month because it was that good. Totally worth it.

  • +2

    How does it compare to Grooveshark?

    • +3

      Like OpenSource vs Commercial software - each one got advantages and disadvantages.

  • +6

    This app blows any other streaming service previously available to Australia out of the water.

    Just try it and you will see.

  • was is dent to my downloads going to be?

    • +1

      Well… The "premium" accounts get 320kbps, which makes the average MP3 file ~4-5MB a song.. So I'd suggest not much??? Unless you stream 24/7 maybe..

      • That will quickly ad up on your mobile plan though.

    • +3

      The lowest bitrate is 94kbps (default for mobile). That comes up to approx 41MB per hour of continuous streaming (94/1024/8*3600). Highest rate is 320kbps, which would be 140MB/hr

  • +3

    h4lcyon: just what I was thinking. Been using grooveshark for about a year, and love it.
    http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/spotify-vs-rdio-vs-groov…

    • That answers all of my questions pretty nicely.. And the fact that Grooveshark is 'user-based', and blacklists a couple of my favourite bands, I think Spotify looks like the winner.

    • Good link but the information is a little outdated.

      Firstly there is now an iPad app for Spotify.

      Secondly, grooveshark works on mobiles with html5.grooveshark.com

  • +1

    installed the iphone app and only gave me 48 hours?

    • As far as I understand that's mobile version trial.
      Desktop usage is free and unlimited so far. Not sure about 6 months limit though.

    • Yeah also got the 48 hour trial on iPhone, and this may limit the use of the service.

      Spotify is pretty awesome, thanks OP.

  • Deleted

  • wow great news

  • The 6 months is wrong - this was only for the US. Australia and New Zealand get free access indefinitely however it is only via the desktop app. If you want no ads, it'll cost $6.99 and the premium option (which gives mobile access) is $11.99/month.

    OP - please edit

    EDIT: Thanks for editing mod.

    Comparison between Spotify and others - http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/05/spotify-and-its-rivals-…

    • I'm still confused - I'm able to make offline playlists which get transferred to my phone, and it plays them. If I only had premium on the desktop (yet to notice any ads), then how come I play songs offline on my phone?

      Even so, if it's only a temp thing - $6-10 a month for an easy to use service, bloody awesome!

      • You're probably on a premium 48 hour free trial (or 30 days if you put in payment details)

  • -7

    Why not just buy your music or download it for free.music is so small it hardly takes up any room on your harddrive.

    • +6

      Some people don't like to illegally download music and Spotify gives access to 16,000,000+ songs without having to store them anywhere.

    • +10

      Q: Why not just buy your music?
      A: Because this is cheaper.

      Q: Why not just download it for free?
      A: Because this does not infringe copyright.

      Pretty simple stuff, Chiefmegadeth.

      • Because this does not infringe copyright.

        Personally I like the idea of getting free music, but still supporting the artists (well….. however much they would actually get cough none cough).

        • +1

          doesn't youtube pretty much give you all the free music AND video you'd ever want?

  • -1

    This is not a bargain and should not be on OzBargain (forums perhaps).

    • +1

      His right you know, same as the whole Blizzard honouring thing,

  • +3

    After playing with the mobile app on the bus for around 20 minutes, I signed up for the $11.99 premium service, as it's very nice.

    • Trying that now….

  • So much more better than downloadiny mp3s saves HD space :)

    • Read the op what was posted.

      And because the music plays live, there’s no need to wait for downloads and no big dent in your hard drive.
      Save some space mate!

  • Welcome to Australia, Spotify.

    Now to see if this service lives up to the hype.

  • If you don't have/want facebook forget spotify and just use YouTube for your music. Pretty good library right there. It's free, legal and ad supported.

    • +2

      The facebook requirement was a bit of a nuisance at first, but a new facebook account was easily setup just to try Spotify, using false details, and its definitely recommended, Spotify is awesome, and YouTube can not match it.

  • +2

    This is the best thing on the internet since… well… Ozbargains

  • +1

    I have been using the premium service from a UK account for the last couple of years and can only say good things about it. The desktop app is good, but it is the mobile premium apps which for me well justifies the cost per month. There are some premium acts who never allow their music to be streamed, so no Led Zep, no Beatles, no Pink Floyd, etc. It is also not great for dance music or some independent record lables, but it will surprise you what is available. If you are an Android user, make sure you use the new Beta version as it's much nicer than the standard app - http://www.spotify.com/us/blog/archives/2012/04/19/new-andro… . Also have a look for standup comedy, kids stories, etc. As some have said, it is not a bargain per se, but it is great value for money.

    • Thanks for the link to the newer Android app, I still prefer the Rdio Android app though, if only Rdio had as many songs as Spotify..

  • Hooray I get to listen to the "Rock Band" radio all week long!

  • Gold thanks.

  • Sweet deal.

  • So to use the iPad app we need a premium account?

    • Yes.

    • Thats correct, which is a 48 hour free trial, that can be extended to 30 days free if you give paypal/visa payment details.

  • I signed up using the iPad app and it tells me in my subscription info that I get Spotify Premium for 48 hours. After that, my account will become a Spotify Free account. Sounds alright to me!

    • Did you get the email with the subject:

      Want to try Spotify Premium for another 30 days?

      Welcome to your free 48-hour trial of Spotify Premium

      Sure, 48 hours is enough time to fall in love with Spotify Premium. But just when you’re getting used to ad-free listening on all your favourite devices, your trial will be over. We can’t do that to you!

      Just click below anytime in the next 14 days, follow the instructions, and we’ll gladly add another 30 days to your free trial.

      Happy listening!

      • Awesome! Just checked my inbox and it's there.

  • How does it compare to Pandora?

    • Better than Pandora, as Spotify has the Pandora radio station equivalent feature, and add on programs, also Last.fm integration, also with Spotify you can also play entire albums, or individual tracks, plus a few other really neat features. The music selection looks better for French artists that Pandora does not have, but as mentioned above, Spotify is lacking or has much less of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zep. One other disadvantage maybe that Spotify is only able to play on one device at a time whereas Pandora does not have this limit.

  • -1

    Installed, and continually disconnected my net connection (brings back memories of dial up connections when the phone got picked up!) when I tried loading it. Seems like others have had similar issues on their forums.

    Reinstalling flash didn't work. Apparently they need to disconnect your FB account from spotify to make it work, but you need to post a request in the forum.

    Too much effort, better things to do than be a bug chaser for them - free product doesn't work out of the box for me hence the -ve vote

    • +5

      Guess the millions of people it works perfectly for can go to hell when it doesn't suit you hey mate.

      • I like the sweeping generalisation and your conclusion - I guess the millions of others it doesn't work perfectly for can go to hell when it doesn't suit you? ;)

        moving right along, so as per ozb faq …

        Reliability issues are also important to know about. However this comes into a gray area. If it didn't work for you, maybe a post with no vote attached, if you know others have had issues and have seen bad reports elsewhere a post with link if possible and a negative vote is appropriate…

        so, here's the link where I tried their solution :)

        http://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/Spotify-cras…

      • -2

        Stop being so defensive.

        He never stated nor suggested that it wouldn't work for anyone else.

        Just that it didn't work for him…mate.

  • Disappointed with the sound quality and the range of music. I'll stick to YouTube for casual listening.

    • +1

      Did you make sure to turn on high quality streaming in settings?

      • It says its only for premium service.

    • +1

      Honestly I've noticed the quality seems to be way ahead of YouTube, except for a couple of official channels… Played loud and clear for me on all the songs I've tried - certainly can't say the same for unofficial YouTube clips. :P

  • -2

    I'm tempted to give it a negative vote (but will resist) because it requires facebook … As someone who does not use facebook and refuses to use facebook ( I have my reasons ), I'm growing ever annoyed at companies that force you to like them, or visit them on facebook so as to get access etc.

    I'll stick to digitallyimported for my dose of fresh music….

    • +2

      just open a fake fb account, i've got a couple

  • Can't speak highly enough of these fellas.
    They have got it sooo right.
    Simple Website, simple business model, clear, uncomplicated, concise, easy.

    • -2

      ^ This.
      And IOS5. Boo.

      • When I looked in the app store, there was another specific version for IOS4, which I thought was pretty neat. I haven't seen many apps do that.

        Can't comment on whether it works well or not.

        • Oooh! So there is! Thanks for that!
          Neg retracted.

    • +1

      I signed up for the 30 day trial with my CC, as soon as it went through I went over to subscriptions and clicked unsubscribe from Premium.

      No more auto renewal and I still have the 30 days.

    • You sir, chose the wrong option. I didn't get asked for credit card details.

      • You need CC details for the 30 day free trial of Premium.

    • For those wondering, the desktop app of Spotify is free, and has always been free across all countries. The mobile version however requires a monthly subscription, which is where the 30 day trial comes in.

    • The desktop software is a free service. Premium, as the name implies, is not free.

  • I love love love this. I want more of this subscription based streaming content to come to Australia. Products like this, Netflix and Audible are a much better way for recording artists and labels to embrace the digital future, instead of holding onto archaic formats and enforcing DRM.

  • -2

    Not sure how this is a bargain. There's no special deal, it's going to be free forever….

  • I think it would be helpful for the description area to explain that YOU MUST LINK SPOTIFY WITH YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT TO USE THE SERVICE - if you have one.

    If you don't have Facebook just make up a fake one - its fun to see what names the automated system will allow through :)

  • Oh and you must upgrade to Facebook time line and "This app may post on your behalf, including songs you listen too" blah blah and permision to access your data while your offline.

    Does anyone else get concerned by this kind of access we allow apps to have? I love new tech, apps and anything else but I do value my privacy.

    • You can revoke Spotify's publishing rights via Facebook settings, and still listen to music etc.

      • Beautiful and the setting isn't too hard to find, thanks Musti :)

Login or Join to leave a comment