Spotify is beginning to take action on users who have managed to use the service from outside of its specified countries.
In an email to a number of its users, the Sweden/UK based company says:
“We never intended to allow use of our service outside of those countries and we do not run any adverts on your account like we do in the launch countries.
We are sorry that we have to take this step. We do hope to launch our free service in more countries in the future.”
Some users have managed to gain access to the service from abroad, particularly other parts of Europe, and as such are using a service that is not currently available to them. These users are also being served ads, unlike users within Spotify’s registered countries who either have to pay for a premium membership or put up with advertisements every 15 minutes or so.
The move comes immediately after the company announced the mobile applications of Spotify for the iPhone and Android. Access to the mobile applications is only available to premium subscribers and it is therefore highly likely the company saw a steep rise in subscribers.
Spotify is currently available in six countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, France and the UK with plans to launch in the US before the end of the year.
The full email sent to a number of users is posted below:
Dear Spotify user,
We’re writing to you in regards to your Spotify account which up until now you’ve been using free of charge. While we are really happy that you are enthusiastically using Spotify, we are unfortunately going to have to restrict access to your free account.
Spotify is currently available in six countries: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Spain, France and the UK. We never intended to allow use of our service outside of those countries and we do not run any adverts on your account like we do in the launch countries.
For this reason we have to restrict your account, you will be able to log in to Spotify and view music and playlists but not listen to any music.
We are sorry that we have to take this step. We do hope to launch our free service in more countries in the future.
If you have any questions regarding this please feel free to contact our support team. (support@spotify.com)
Regards,
The Spotify team.
Via Pat Phelan’s and Jonathan Grimes Posterous.
This can be *easily* diverted using a relay UK/FR/SE proxy server. Just fill out the proxy address under preferences -> Proxy… Done! :-)
If Spotify doesn’t do something about supporting more countries it will become a failure when MS Omni does:
http://www.mobiletechworld.com/2009/08/04/microsoft-project-omni-multiplatform-music-streaming-rumor/
With these kind of services you have a big lock-in as customer, because you don’t want to loose all your playlists/songs when you want to change of music-provider. In the future may the collaborative playlists become a big part of this lock-in.
It’s the same thing with the choice of a social network like Facebook, MySpace etc… Your first signed-up network was mainly based on the most common one used by your closed friends.
Both providers are supported by the big record labels, so based on content there is not really a motivation to change.
On technical level Spotify is absolutely brilliant fast without any hick-ups, on the other side MS had the time to watch and learn from it. They also have the manpower to accomplish the same or create an even better solution.
The only question is if MS will continue to use the WMA container and will keep their service exclusive for the Zune.
But from the past we can (sadly) learn that most of the times the true innovator won’t be a winner on the long term.
For it’s own future Spotify should in my opinion focus in supporting asap more countries before MS with all his marketing power is willing to fill up this gap.
It’s such bullshit. I live in the US, and I love Spotify. I have a UK account. I don’t even want the free service. I want the paid service and they won’t let me buy it. THEY WON’T FREAKING LET ME. It’s crap. They refuse to let you register for the paid service with a US credit card.
Now I’m trying to figure out how I can get a prepaid UK credit card just so I can use it.
These guys are freaking morons. I get why they are restricting the free service because they don’t have localized ad sales teams yet, but the paid too? I’m trying to give them my money and they won’t take it.
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Hi!
Spotify is not available at my country…
Have found http://www.tv243.com a great alternative for Music Videos.
Of course you can record Spotify music streaming. using spotify ripper can get spotify musice to your computer easily. it records from your sound card and the output quality is perfect like the original.
How to rip Spotify music
@ Rogier Great!
What proxy are you using. I have tried filling out the proxy using defilter.co.uk but I still have the same problem. I am using https option in the preferences.
Hear, hear!
If you only knew how many US web services that are blocking the rest of the world….