Stream audio tracks from the Internet for free
iTunes has become a major player in the music industry as it made buying music easy. Instead of walking in to down and purchasing a CD, or even ordering from an online store, you simply select the album, click purchase and it’s downloaded to your computer. What possibly could be better or easier than this system?
What if we told you there was a way of listening and streaming the same tracks, for free, without moving away from your computer? If you have a fast broadband account, streaming high quality audio from the Internet is a distinct possibility. Streaming high-quality video is another matter entirely.
Spotify is the latest Internet sensation. It enables you to setup a free account, download the player to your system, then select the tracks you want to hear. You can setup a play queue with your favourite tracks, so you don’t have to individually select a track every time you want to hear some music. You can listen to online Internet-based radio, too, through your Spotify player.
As you can imagine, there’s a Premium option, too. At $9.99/£9.99 you don’t get any adverts in your Spotify player, far higher quality audio (320Kbps) and various member-only exclusives.
The downside for us is that you can’t stream your Spotify tracks to your wireless devices, which you can do through iTunes and Airport Express. If you use a commercial third-party tool such as Airfoil, you can override this. You can’t use Spotify to manage or sync audio to your iPhone, iPod or other mobile device, either.
Final Verdict: The latest Internet sensation will enable you to listen and stream audio tracks to your computer without paying any fees (Premium option available)
Shareware
Capture screenshots quickly and easily with this powerful, but resource-friendly, tool
Trial Software
Capture onscreen activity, edit it into a professional screencast, then share the results
Open Source
Record TV, watch DVDs and videos, play music and more with this comprehensive media centre application
Freeware
Quickly open and process RAW images from a wide range of cameras
Open Source
Convert DVD and Blu-ray for playback on your computer or Apple portable device
Open Source
Convert DVD and Blu-ray for playback on your computer or Apple portable device
Open Source
An easy-to-use image compressor
Freeware
The popular photo editing app is now available for Windows and Mac
Open Source
A free cross-platform image viewer
Open Source
Search for, play and download MP3's, YouTube videos and more