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Why Spotify is music to my ears

Just released for the U.S. market, why Spotify has been (and always will be) music to my ears.
By Zack Whittaker, Contributor
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Don't have a Spotify invite yet? Want to know more about this game-changing music service? Here are a number of reasons why Spotify (and Spotify Mobile) is music to my ears.

Spotify is a music streaming service, which allows you to plug into the vast amount of music on the web and listen for free. Who needs piracy when you have streamed music on tap?

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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As you would expect with any service like this, you can connect with your existing social networks -- like Facebook -- and send music to your friend's Spotify screens.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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This application feels like a Mac application, even on Windows (but don't worry -- it doesn't run like a Mac application on Windows!). It has a similar feel to iTunes, so many will feel well adjusted. Your social network's friends are on the left, if you choose to connect to it. New releases you might be interested in allows you to keep up with the music scene. 

To the left and the bottom, you can see the music controls which light up when music is flowing through the application.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Spotify is available on a number of devices, including Android, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices -- along with other top of the range Nokia handhelds.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Spotify is available on a number of devices, including Android, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices -- along with other top of the range Nokia handhelds. In this screenshot, you can see it is running on an iPod touch.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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When searching for content (in this case: Mumford and Sons, because they're awesome), you can play them straight from your mobile device, or you can add them to a playlist for playing on your computer.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Because some connections can be slower, such as 3G on phones, music is streamed at a lower quality -- but on Wi-Fi, the quality is far higher.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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You can perform many of the tasks that you would do on your computer's Spotify on your mobile device, too. You can share tracks with your Facebook friends, or send links to your other friends who are not in a social network. You can also see more from the artist, and see more from their albums too.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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If you are on a slower connection, you can add music you like to a playlist so you can listen to them when you get faster speeds (like Wi-Fi on a computer). This way, you can browse on the go and never miss out -- when you listen again on your computer.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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In the mobile settings, you can choose to download music (in "Offline Mode"), which allows you play music when you are not connected to any network.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Sending music to friends is easy. Simply click on the track that you want to send, and if they have Spotify too, they will appear in the "People" pane. You can attach a message and they will receive it next time they use Spotify.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Spotify automatically connects with your iTunes, your Windows Media Player and connects your offline music to your playlists, too. It's all consolidated in Spotify, allowing you to transfer music into it to play it from one window.

In Offline mode (a subscription is needed), you can keep your streamed tracks locally so there will be no cut-off in music -- even if your web connection fails you!

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Spotify makes sharing playlists incredibly easy. You can send them via a link and access them in your own Spotify when someone sends you a playlist. You can tweet, send via Windows Live Messenger, or use Facebook to share your favourite tracks.

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Downloading music is quick, easy and completely legal. The more you download, the less it costs.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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Spotify automagically keeps up to date with the latest news and album information, it is easy to find tracks from various albums from that artists. Plus, you can download music in this intuitive iTunes-like interface.

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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With Spotify, you can see content related to the artists that you love. So, if you were to plug in "Laura Marling", you would get a whole stream of new artists -- from She & Him all the way through to Joni Mitchell -- so you can browse and listen to their music, too. 

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For more on Spotify, read the corresponding post on the ZDNet iGeneration column.

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