Spotify is expanding its digital music platform by opening its API to third-party developers. Dubbed Spotify Platform, the initiative is highlighted by the new App Finder service, which initially includes 16 partner apps designed to offer users deeper insight and access into their favorite music and recording artists--collaborators include Billboard, Fuse, Last.fm, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
"This is the first time you can create an application with instantaneous access to a world of music," Spotify developer community manager Andrew Mager writes on the firm's blog. "Not just 30-second previews or songs gated behind a subscription fee. Free for the developer, and free for the end user. And fast, like the music is right on your user's hard drive. It's legal, and artists are getting paid." Mager adds that all Spotify Apps are written in JavaScript, HTML and CSS, stating "These APIs give you access to all of the powerful features in the Spotify desktop client with simple JavaScript functions."
Although the first wave of Spotify Platform apps is optimized solely for desktop and laptop computers, not smartphones, some apps can create playlists accessible via mobile devices. For more information on the Spotify Apps API, click here.
Spotify offers on-demand streaming access to more than 15 million songs--users can create and manage their own playlists, share tracks via Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS, and wirelessly sync their playlists to their mobile phone or iPod. The U.S. version, launched in July 2011, offers three flavors: Spotify Free (on-demand, buffer-free access with occasional advertising); Spotify Unlimited (uninterrupted, ad-free access via computer for $4.99 per month); and Spotify Premium (online and offline access across the desktop and mobile for $9.99 per month).
Spotify remains most popular in Europe, although the service has grown quickly in the months since its U.S. premiere. Spotify now boasts 10 million active users in 12 countries, with 2.5 million opting for its premium offerings.
For more:
- read this Spotify Developers blog entry
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