Pandora.com originally opened the free music box for American consumers. Its user-generated radio stations have attracted 80 million listeners nationwide. Tell Pandora you like the Black Eyed Peas, and its software sends their music your way, along with songs from other artists with a similar style.
Pandora gives you 40 free hours of music streaming per month, or unlimited listening for $36 a year. But it doesn’t let you pick and play individual songs; you take what the computer gives you.
Spotify is a giant personal jukebox, with about 15 million recordings on board. You install its software, then run a search for the songs you like. Unlike with Pandora, you’ll never hear a song you don’t want to hear. Create your own playlists, and enjoy.
The venerable Rhapsody.com service has been offering a similar deal for about a decade, but has attracted a mere 800,000 users. No surprise; at Rhapsody, everybody pays after an initial 14-day free trial. For $9.99 a month, users get unlimited, commercial-free streaming and the right to download music to one portable device, like an iPhone. The user can then listen to the music without an Internet connection. For $14.99 a month, you can download to three devices.
Spotify lets you listen to its online library at no charge - but only if you can get in. Like Google Inc.’s new social network Google+, the free version of Spotify is presently available by invitation only, or through promotions being offered by a handful of Internet sites.
For now, the free service in the United States sets no time limit on listening. But in Europe, Spotify now limits users to 10 hours a month, and it’s just a matter of time before American users are put on the clock.
In addition, users must put up with commercials. They’re less frequent than on your typical broadcast station. But as an opera buff, the last thing I wanted was an ad for Coca-Cola just after a show-stopping aria.
