We’ve spent the morning taking a peep at Sky Songs. It launches in Beta this Monday, offering Sky Broadband customers a month’s free trial and a whole album download for free. So how does it stack up against current streaming supremo, Spotify? Read on for our first impressions.
The first, and most important, difference between Sky Songs and Spotify is that Sky’s service works entirely inside your web browser. Some might think that’s a bit clunky, but it’s actually a stroke of genius.
The interface is smooth, and snappy but best of all by side-stepping a dedicated Sky Songs app the media giant has made sure customers can tune in at work, where security-conscious IT departments frequently lock down their machines.
Then there’s the effort Sky has gone to to make Sky Songs easy for everyone to use: Where Spotify drops you in at the deep end, with tons of choice but little guidance, Sky Songs is more gentle.
Sky Songs: Six ways it gives Spotify a spanking
It’s partnered with Holy Moly and Popjustice to provide music news, features and themed playlists. They serve as a gentle hand-holding into the world of unlimited music, but it doesn’t stop there. Sky Songs has a recommendation engine, something sadly lacking from Spotify, so it’ll serve up music you’re more likely to enjoy based on what you already listen to.
It’s incredibly smart, and pushes streaming on from where Spotify currently sits. The only stumbling block is the price. While Spotify offers a free service supported by ads, Sky’s is subscription-only. OK, it’s cheaper than Spotify’s ad-free service, and includes a few gratis MP3 downloads, but will it be enough to tempt the mainstream? From Monday you’ll be able to try it out for yourself.
Out Monday | From £6.49 | Sky Songs
