Spotify announces partnership with 7Digital

Following on from our Spotify feature last month, we can now report that it was recently announced that London based digital download Music store 7Digital have announced a deal with Spotify which will enable users of the massively popular streaming music service in the UK, France, Spain and Germany to purchase 320kps MP3 versions of tracks.

7Digital currently sells MP3s from all major label artists and the majority of independents, so this should translate as most of the tracks on Spotify
becoming commercially available.

Users will now have the option of high quality mp3 and Flac file downloads alongside a proposed ‘Buy a play list’ function.

This will undoubtedly provide a much more comprehensive and satisfying ‘try before you buy’ preview service than iTunes or Amazon MP3, which both feature edited streaming of tracks in the form of 30 second clips of a song.

Spotify has previously stated it will announce three retail partnerships in the coming weeks, though it is not currently clear if the other partnerships are with other digital music stores or with ticketing or merchandising companies.

Have your say: “But why on earth would someone listen to a track for free on Spotify
and then decide to purchase it?” we hear you cry. Well, what about those wanting to play the tracks offline and on their I-pod? What about a sense of ownership relating to your favourite music and back up on your hard drive, not to mention the issue of quality? These are the kinds of arguments that Spotify has amplified to a deafening roar since it gained mass popularity in late 2008. What are your thoughts?