Spotify’s back in the headlines today after major label Warner pulled the plug on its support for music streaming sites. Spotify top dog Daniel Ek has already told the world Warner tracks are staying put, but if the Swedish service wants to draw in more punters and convince the labels it’s worth sticking with, it needs to do more. Here are five things we reckon Spotify must do now to stay at the top of its game.
Offer wider MP3 player support
Sure, you can get Spotify on most top end smartphones, with Symbian, Android and iPhone all nicely catered for. But how about regular MP3 players? You can stream over Wi-Fi and sync offline playlists on your iPod touch, but what about other wireless web loving PMPs? Sure, there’s nothing stopping Archos Android devices getting involved, but how about brokering deals with Sony to shoehorn Spotify onto the Walkman? A tie-up with LG or Samsung seems logical too. We’ve been in love with Spotify on our desktops and mobiles for a while now. It’s time to start spreading the love further and wider.
Add TV shows
Spotify already does ad spots, and talk about TV coming to the service has been rife for months. Adding a streaming service now would help to gazump Apple’s rumoured plans to offer cheap TV shows to coincide with the launch of the iPad, not to mention cut down on you paying for new programmes every time you want to watch. Ad-supported, it’d be an addition that the UK especially is crying out for.
Chuck in 3G syncing on iPhone
Caching offline playlists over 3G is a breeze on Symbian and Android, meaning you can prep playlists for flights or long train journeys wherever you are. The same can’t be said for the iPhone, which only lets you sync over Wi-Fi. Apple and Spotify need to sit down and get this one sorted, stat. It makes the Spotify mobile apps even better when it’s bundled in.
Throw open its doors in the US
There have been delays aplenty, but with 250,000 paying Spotify users across Europe, surely a US launch would push those numbers ever higher and start bringing in the cash that the labels so desperately crave. Getting off the ground Stateside is a sure-fire way to make sure streaming services grab a larger slice of the listening pie, and stick around for good.
Strike up deals with more mobile networks
Spotify’s excellent deal with Three means getting access to its service on-the-go is part of your monthly contract if you’re packing a HTC Hero. But to make sure it’s reaching even more music mad punters, Spotify needs to sit down with the likes of Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile and strike deals that’ll help bring unlimited tunes to the masses as part of their 24 month deal.
What would you like to see from Spotify? Make sure you tell us now in the comments section.
