I awoke this morning eager to start the today because I knew that around 8 am Spotify was finally going live in the US. Our European friends have had it for some time and they have bragged about it incessantly. They have done so for good reason. I decided to register for a Premium account without even trying the free version because everything I have heard about Spotify indicated that it is an excellent service. I have not regretted the decision. The native Mac client is superb and fast - faster than iTunes. The iPhone app is equally good. The service streams reliably over my home broadband or my AT&T 3G connection. Pricing seems fair: free for ad supported streaming, $4.95/month for ulimited streaming with no ads but limits on mobile access, and $9.95/month for unlimited access with no ads - including mobile access and device caching for offline access. The free service is invite only for now but you can access the service without an invite if you sign up for a paid plan as I did.
The convenience of having millions of songs at my fingertips for less than $10 a month is a welcome thing for a music lover on a budget who enjoys listening to lots of different kinds of music and exploring new artists. Spotify is going to revolutionize the way I locate, listen to and purchase music. For example, I was out at lunch with some friends when a couple of songs I liked came across the restaurant's music speakers. Seconds later they were added to appropriate playlists on my iPhone Spotify app and were waiting for me in the Mac client when I returned home.
By all accounts it took a lot of work and negotiation with record labels for Spotify to bring their excellent service to our shores. I am thankful for all their hard work. I think you will be too if you give it a chance.