Spotify Can Now Be Integrated into Apple iOS Apps
Online music service Spotify can now be integrated into any Apple iOS app, allowing software developers to create endless applications that let you search for, play and enjoy streaming tunes by popular artists on-demand.
According to an official blog post, Spotify’s cloud music features are immediately available to programmers via an Embedded Player option, letting them freely code these options into iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps. Available at no charge or licensing fee to amateur software makers, sponsorships and commercial use are prohibited without the company’s consent. But from enhanced playlist sorting to enabling playback of a massive library of chart-topping tracks within virtually any context, possibilities are limited only by contractual rights and creators’ imagination.
Clearly created in hopes of galvanizing homebrew hackers to create more sonically-inclined software programs, Spotify’s open-ended strategy appears to be a play to generate enthusiasm, awareness and a range of inventive new apps. A potential counter to similar efforts by rival providers Rdio and MOG, the firm’s Spotify Embedded Player potentially exposes it to millions of new listeners by giving the service a presence in dozens of original applications.
A Spotify Premium subscription is required for listeners to access the service’s complete range of services for smartphones, tablet PCs and mobile devices. Users of Web apps can enjoy a limited, free range of features, however. Broadening the availability and number of ways in which music fans can stream complete songs whenever the mood strikes, the move may also serve to expand the overall audience for digital music.
“We hope this will enable a new category of iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch applications… and allow for more immersive music experiences within iOS apps,” says Spotify’s director of platform Sten Garmark.