An Unanswered Letter to Spotify

Christopher L. Jorgensen
P.O. Box 546
Ames, IA 50010

September 27, 2011

Spotify USA Inc
76 9th Avenue
Suite 1110, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10011

Dear Spotify,

People were so excited when it was announced you were entering the US market that I knew I had to check out your service. I thought I’d drop you a note giving you feedback and my impressions after having used it for a month or so.

1. There are too many commercials. Now I understand there aren’t commercials in the pay version and if there weren’t commercials in the free one people wouldn’t be annoyed enough to pony up the cash, but annoying people into becoming customers doesn’t seem like a smart business plan.
2. The free version doesn’t run on wireless iOS. This is plain dumb. What do you care what device I choose to consume my music on?
3. Having to sign up for a Facebook account to get access to Spotify is completely asinine. Seriously, whoever thought of this idea had better be an intern. This is the dumbest thing ever. You might not realize this, but not everyone wants a Facebook account. Not everyone trusts Facebook to obey privacy settings and I don’t need the world knowing I listen to “Spice Girls!” I could go on and on and on about how stupid this is, but I’d get RSI from all the damn typing! Dumb. And what are you going to do when Facebook goes under?
4. You should have a “per play” option. I don’t listen to enough music to have a paid account be worth it, but a nickel a play I could get behind!
5. Make your ads relevant. Pimping some rap dude to me is a complete misfire. It should be obvious from the songs that I listen to that I could care less about rap or hip hop. I also don’t like country or long walks in the woods.
6. There are enough glaring omissions in your catalog that at best Spotify is a supplemental service and not a definitive source. You’re the Hulu+ of music. Aim higher!

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Jorgensen