Three bundling free Spotify Premium music service with phones
May 28th, 2010
Mobile network 3 are bundling a 24-month premium subscription to Spotify, offering unlimited music on desktop & mobile, with some of their tariffs.
photo: marfis75
3 have begun bundling a free 24-month Spotify Premium subscription (worth £10/month) to customers taking out an “Internet Texter 900” tariff with selected phones. This means 3 customers will have access to 7.6million tracks on demand, advertising-free, on both their computer and mobile phone. In this article, we find out what Spotify is about and the range of handsets which offer it.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a music streaming application for your PC and for your mobile (with subscription). It’s a new way of obtaining and listening to music. Instead of the traditional “pay per song” model where you would buy tracks from iTunes, Amazon or your local record store, Spotify is a “pay per month” subscription model. Users pay a flat fee of £10/month for access to the Spotify music library – currently 7.6million tracks from 550,000 different artists. All tracks are available “on demand” and with a decent internet connection, you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a track physically stored on your computer/phone and a track in the Spotify catalogue.
What’s the music library like?
It’s pretty good. I use it as a full replacement to a music library on my PC. Spotify seem to often get albums on the day of release (sometimes even before!). However, there are a few notable artists which don’t make their music available on Spotify such as Pink Floyd and the Beatles. That said, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to buy an album.
Can I use Spotify Free on my mobile?
photo: crsan
Although there is a free version of Spotify, it is advertising-funded, limited to 20 hours a month and only for use on a computer. If you want Spotify on your mobile, there’s is no choice but to sign up for Spotify Premium.
How much is it?
Usually, Spotify Premium costs £10/month. However, 3 are bundling 24-months “Spotify Premium” with certain phones on the “Internet Texter 900″ tariffs which starts from £26/month with 900 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB internet. A 2 month subscription is also being bundled with cheaper tariffs. To get the most out of Spotify, we recommend the 24 month Spotify Premium on the “Internet Texter 900″ tariff.
What phones and tariffs is it available on?
In total, there are currently 14 phones on 3 which offer Spotify Premium. The cheapest is the Nokia E63 which is £26/month. I personally recommend the HTC Desire – particularly because you also get free GPS navigation. And it’s an awesome phone.
The full list of phones and tariffs follow:
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HTC Desire Graphite Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet Highly recommended Android smartphone with free GPS navigation |
£33/mo. |
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HTC Hero Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£32/mo. |
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Nokia 5230 Black Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£28/mo. |
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Nokia 5230 White Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£28/mo. |
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Nokia E63 Black Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet Cheapest tariff with 24-month Spotify Premium |
£26/mo. |
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Nokia E71 Grey Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£31/mo. |
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Nokia N86 Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£35/mo. |
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Nokia X6 Black Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£30/mo. |
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Samsung Galaxy Portal Black Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£28/mo. |
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Samsung Galaxy Portal White Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£28/mo. |
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Sony Ericsson Satio Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£38/mo. |
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Sony Ericsson Vivaz Silver Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£33/mo. |
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Sony Ericsson X10 Black Internet Texter 900 – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, unlimited internet |
£33/mo. |
How do I get Spotify Premium?
If you want to get it as part of a 3 contract, go to the Three website. Note that only certain phones will offer Spotify Premium so double-check before placing an order!
If you want to subscribe to Spotify Premium separately without a 3 contract, you can do so through the Spotify website.
| About Ken | |
 | My mission is to demystify the world of mobile technology for general audiences and to communicate how mobile technology can enhance every aspect of our daily lives. I've been maintaining the Ken's Tech Tips website since 2004. I have experience communicating mobile technology and presenting new mobile products both online and offline, including at various trade shows and events. You can check out my profile or drop me an e-mail. |
- Entertainment , Mobile , Music , Pay Monthly , Smartphones , Three
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