maggior;643441 Wrote: > Are Napster and Rapsody available in Europe? If not, then it is only > now that Spotify will have this competition to contend with. > > Given the sound quality, cost, squeezebox support, and portability with > the iPod Touch app (especially being able to download music without > buying it), I'm willing to overlook some of the limitation for now. Rhapsody is only available in the US.
Napster is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Germany. I am in the UK and although Napster was available long before Spotify, somehow their marketing was poor and most people were unaware of it. Even today when I mention Napster people still think it is an illegal download site! Spotify took off like a rocket, mainly because of the "free" version. They were using the typical drug dealers strategy, give them a few hits for free and when they are hooked jack up the price. They are also more widely available in Europe than Napster and were not tainted with the Napster brand's dodgy past. On a product comparison of the "Unlimited" products Napster are not quite so high-tech, lacking iTunes or Facebook intregration, however Napster has a web app that does not require the installation of any software, which is important for people using corporate computers without Admin access. Napster used to offer 5 free MP3 tracks a month (and still does to existing subscribers). That was a real advantage as it reduced the cost to around £2 a month. It certainly keeps *me* hooked! Napster integration with the SqueezeBox line is better, with library and playlists synchronised between the web app and the SB app. It has been through some really bad patches in the past though, particularly earlier this year when its SBS app basically failed to run at all for a while. Currently I find it pretty stable. Napster and Spotify Premium products (£10 a month) both allow you to take music with you on Apple or Android mobile devices, although with Napster I think it is limited to one device whereas with Spotify it is up to three (could be mistaken on that). Spotify also streams at 320kb/s on their Premium product, rather higher than Napster's 128kb/s. The benefit of the high bit rate is probably not important unless you do a lot of critical listening through a high quality hi-fi. You would probably not notice the difference through a SB Radio or Boom. In these cases I would let the functionality of each system drive your choice rather than the bit rate. -- TheLastMan Matt http://www.last.fm/user/MJL-UK *SqueezeBoxes:* SB Duet (Controller + two receivers) *Server:* Synology DS107+ NAS (with firmware 2.3-1157) running Squeezebox Server 7.5.3 on Synology Package Manager *Network:* Netgear DG834GT ADSL modem/router, 2 x Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 as access points *Livingroom:* Receiver into Naim 42/110 amp, B&W CM2 speakers *Kitchen:* Receiver into Denon DM37 mini-system, B&W 686 speakers *Study:* Linn LP12, Naim 72/Hi-cap/Headline. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TheLastMan's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16021 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=88933
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