I didn’t mean to say, nor did I say, that Spotify and Joost are just like one another. I agree that Spotify’s product is excellent, and that its content library is very strong — at least in the geographies where it’s working already. But until it does secure a content library in the U.S. music market, everything else — price point(s), free component, advertising frequency, mobile extensions — remains in question. The product and experience we get in the U.S. may not be that compelling after all, compared to what many of you are enjoying in Europe already as well as other options in the U.S. And if it isn’t as interesting, consumers will go with something else. On both sides of the Atlantic, there is plenty of room for another company to win in the all-important mobile arena, which is a huge part of Spotify’s revenue strategy as well.

As a music fan, of course, I wish Spotify the best of luck, and I can’t wait to see what the company delivers in the U.S. I hope it’s a great product that I use every day.

Most modern computer equipment and modern broadband connections see no noticeable hit in performance using MOG and MOG’s flash-based player. MOG has a desktop app following the web release, for those that want a browser-less, desktop application experience.

You pay for the premium version, then you can have offline access to songs (as much as 3333), and also, you can then use the mobile application (for Android, S60, iPhone).

As the mobiles applications have an offline mode, you can even use the mobile application to listen to your chosen music when there is no network connection available. If you’re online you can also stream music.

In my opinion, this really good mix of the online mode and offline mode is a key point in the Spotify experience.

Furthermore, the fact it’s not a browser based service is a plus point as the other flash based services are computer resources hogs.

Being browser-based or client-based doesn’t make one bit of difference if a) the product is good, b) the user experience is first-class, and c) there is an immediate value perception by the user. Take as an example Skype. Being client-based hasn’t stopped millions of users worldwide from installing and using it on a daily basis.

The problems with Joost regarding my abc above have been well trodden. Spotify is OK in all three counts, but it has a serious problem with content access rights being dictated by labels. This is a Damocles sword hanging over Spotify’s head…

They have to pay minimum guaranteed fees to the labels by region and so they cannot launch worldwide in one go. Rome was not built in a day.

They need to (a) acquire content (b) acquire users (c) monetize to make the country profitable (d) repeat and expand.

Never free enough huh ?

“You can invite friends to Spotify Free if they live in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, France or Spain.”

Not much…

1. Joost in its distributed version was a terrible experience for the users. And the content was not there. Spotify has a great user experience and content to boot.

2. Spotify innovates by making music free, whilst getting the labels on side. They will not suffer the fate of imeem.

3. The real issue is not whether Spotify will be succesful, but how succesful. The stakes are very high for a company that needs to be worth $1bn to provide a decent return for its backers, and this is how it should be measured.

Are the labels going to let a thousand flowers bloom or will they deal with a few select partners ? What are the real barriers to entry in this field ? Signing the labels used to be one, but that is less and less the case. Paying the MG’s used to be one (a dumb one to overcome), but that is less and less relevant. Spotify may see a 4-5 serious competitors emerge (Radio, Deezer, We7 to name but a few) who all peddle the same catalog.

I believe Spotify remains the yardstick of excellence for now as a consumer facing music offering. But lack of barriers to entry and an overdue embrace of digital streaming services by the majors may make it tough to achieve that multi-billion $ exit.