This is a significant development for many companies, perhaps including Google, who have had their Google Voice app rejected recently, on the grounds that it altered the iPhone “user experience”. It will also be of interest to RealNetworks, who have pre-announced the Rhapsody iPhone App to try to force Apple’s hand into acceptance.

The pre-announcement strategy, also applied by Spotify (with YouTube videos and lots of press) may be working. Apple are feeling the pressure, not only from users, but more importantly, from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to be more open about their app acceptance policy.

Rumours have been floating around that Apple are planning a subscription based model for the next generation of iTunes software, which may be available as soon as September. Is it possible that Apple are just going to buy Spotify? After all, the iTunes engine was originally developed by Casady & Greene, and not Apple, and they are not shy of buying the right software when it suits them. Funnily enough, it’s Facebook and not Apple who have been allegedly courting Spotify, but the Apple/Spotify match seems like a no-brainer to me.

Oh yeah, and Snow Leopard’s available today too.

Unfortunately, turns out, Spotify allows users to go on a “holiday” for 2 weeks away from their home territory, but after that, they shut you down. Currently, Ireland is not a territory where you can use the free service. Thus, as a citizen of Ireland, I am deSpotified, unless I agree to pay the (frankly quite reasonable) €10 a month to subscribe. Tempting, but somehow, I feel robbed as my UK friends use the service for free. In the music world, the valuable lesson here is that perception of value is more an issue than price. Record companies, take heed!

Spotify, for the uninitiated (which will be most of us in Ireland) allows you to listen to virtually any tune you care to hear instantaneously, and for free. The only price you pay is the odd advertisement every few minutes. Check out http://www.spotify.com for more details.

Using Spotify was exciting and terrifying in equal measure. It truly is the future of music listening, and it’s only a matter of time before the mobile app version for your favourite MID (Mobile Information Device, what the rest of us call, er, phones) makes it accessible everywhere you go.

Of course, as a musician, I am looking at this thinking, “where’s the paycheck coming from?” It’s not that I’m a breadhead, it’s just that I would like to think it’s possible to still make a living out of music. We all know YouTube makes no money, and clearly, neither does Spotify (yet at least), and if Spotify doesn’t make money, you can be pretty darn sure the music ain’t making much money for the artists either.

But I digress! The real reason for this entry is to let people know that Spotify (for free) appears to work in Ireland! Yeah, sure if you go to the site, under the “free” banner it says “Not available in your country”, but it seems while Spotify’s web site knows what country you are in, the application does not! In other words, if you get someone in the UK to create a username and password for you, and you download the app from the site, I have (almost) every confidence that you too, in Ireland, can Spotify!

Someone try it to confirm, please! I’m too busy Spotifying to try it for myself.