PRESS RELEASE
These are Spotify’s two paid-for services, so Spotify on Virgin will be ad-free. Use Spotify on your TV (through Virgin Media’s TiVo box) Virgin Media’s TiVo box (aka Virgin Media Powered by TiVo) has an Apps section which will undoubtedly be where you’ll launch Spotify from. This will be the first paid-for app on Virgin, as all the others (iPlayer, YouTube etc.) are available for free to all customers. Since last October, Virgin Media customers have been able to enjoy three to six months inclusive Spotify Premium as part of selected broadband or mobile services as a result of the two companies'.
New online app for Spotify brings the latest album reviews and curated playlists
Virgin Media has today launched a new app for digital music service Spotify, extending the pioneering partnership between the two companies. Designed to bring music fans the latest playlists and album reviews curated by Virgin Media's expert music editorial team, the new app can be found in Spotify app finder at open.spotify.com/app/virginmedia, and can be enjoyed by all users of Spotify whether they are Virgin Media customers or not.
Since last October, Virgin Media customers have been able to enjoy three to six months inclusive Spotify Premium as part of selected broadband or mobile services as a result of the two companies' pioneering partnership. In November, Virgin Media launched an exclusive Spotify service for its next generation TiVo service, giving customers the ability to enjoy their favourite party playlists straight through their TVs and home cinema systems.
The latest development in the relationship brings Spotify users a free app that sits within the app finder in the Spotify online client to bring music fans the latest reviews from the likes of hyped indie-guitar group Spector to new pop sensation Conor Maynard, helping users discover new artists and listen to the latest albums all in one place. With curated playlists from various artists from events such as V Festival, fans will be able to tune into headliners such as The Stone Roses and The Killers, or pop favourites like Nicki Minaj and Ed Sheeran, giving users the chance to relive fond festival memories. Virgin Media is also aiming to bring a range of exclusive content to the app in due course.
Spotify Media Player
Nick Forward, editor in chief of digital entertainment at Virgin Media said, 'We know our customers love entertainment and with a huge base of music fans, partnering with Spotify has given them a great way to enjoy the latest albums and tracks across all our services, be it online, on TiVo or on mobile. The Virgin Media app for Spotify goes one step further to give music fans even more content, driven by our expert editorial team to help users keep up with the latest albums, find more of the music they love.'
For further information on Spotify, head to www.spotify.com. For further information on Spotify on Virgin Media, head to www.virginmedia.com/spotify.
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is the first provider of all four broadband, TV, mobile phone and home phone services in the UK.
The company's cable network - the result of a multi-billion pound private investment - delivers ultrafast broadband connections to over half of all UK homes, with speeds of up to 120Mb, and is being expanded to reach thousands more people across the country.
Virgin Media has developed the most advanced interactive television service, bringing together broadcast TV, thousands of hours of on demand programming and the best of the web in a single set-top box powered by TiVo. The company was the first to offer HD TV and 3D on demand to millions of UK households.
Virgin Media also operates the most popular virtual mobile network in the UK which, when launched, was the world's first such mobile phone service. It is also one of the largest fixed-line home phone providers in the country.
Virgin Media Inc. is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the London Stock Exchange (VMED). For more information, go to www.virginmedia.com.
About Spotify
Spotify is an award-winning digital music service that gives you on-demand access to over 18 million tracks. Our dream is to make all the world's music available instantly to everyone, wherever and whenever they want it. Spotify makes it easier than ever to discover, manage and share music with your friends, while making sure that artists get a fair deal.
Spotify is available in 15 countries: USA, UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Australia and New Zealand with more than 15 million active users, and over 4 million paying subscribers.
Spotify For Free Online
www.spotify.com.
Who doesn’t like Spotify? From today onwards, Virgin Media customers will be able to access
the hit music streaming service in a variety of ways.
Firstly, as we reported earlier this month, smartphone owners on a Virgin Mobile contract will be able to stream music while not eating into the data plan.
What’s more, you’ll now also get three months free access to the app if you’re a new or existing Spotify subscriber. Existing subsribers will need to let their current Spotify subscription expire (just don’t renew it at the end of the month) so that the account reverts to basic ad-supported Spotify.
Virgin Media will then supply you with a log in code which will give you three months of free Premium service; you’ll keep your existing username and playlists so you won’t lose anything.
Secondly, if you’re taking a Virgin Media cable broadband deal as well, you’ll get six months of free access to Spotify Premium thrown in for good measure.
This works in the same way – you’ll need to get a login from Virgin Media for this to work – but the great thing is that you can combine it with the three months free on your mobile. So if you’re taking broadband and mobile, you could get up to nine months of free Spotify Premium, or a £90 discount.
Spotify Media Player Online
Spotify Premium currently costs £9.99 a month, which gives you ad-free streaming of the service on your desktop as well as access to your playlists on your phone.
How much are they?
Free Spotify on your phone is only available if you’re singing up for a new Pay Monthly contract on ‘compatible handsets’ i.e. if you’ve got an iPhone or an Android smartphone. BlackBerry owners ought to be able to qualify for this deal once the long-awaited Spotify for BlackBerry app rolls out.
New and existing Virgin Media broadband subscribers singing up for the XL, XXL and 100Mb packages for 12 months will be able to qualify for the six free months.
TiVo app coming soon
Spotify Web Media Player
As well as these two developments, Virgin Media says that more details of the upcoming TiVo app for Spotify will be emerging in “the coming weeks” which will allow you to access, share and play your playlists from your TV set. Hopefully we’ll be able to get screenshots of this in action as and when they become available; until then have a gander at the press image above from Virgin Media which gives you a taster for how things might shape up.