Popular music streaming service Spotify recently revealed that it is finally no longer an invitation-only club and that it is opening its doors to everyone. Unfortunately this change comes with a catch.
You now must have a Facebook account in order to sign up for Spotify.
No, I don't mean that you must have a Facebook account in order to use Spotify's Facebook-related features or in order to have a list of the songs you're listening to appear on the social network.
You must have a Facebook account in order to sign up for the music streaming service.
When I asked the folks at Spotify to clarify what exactly is happening, I was told that all new Spotify accounts now require a Facebook account as part of a worldwide initiative:
To us, this is all about creating an amazing new world of music discovery. To make this as good and simple as it possibly can be, we've integrated Spotify login with Facebook login. By adopting Facebook's login, we've created a simple and seamless social experience. Once a user is logged in they can control what they share with each of their networks from the preferences menu in Spotify.
Those who already had a Spotify account prior to this change are not affected. They can still have Spotify accounts which aren't linked to Facebook in any way. (Though they are certainly offered the opportunity to connect the music streaming service to the social network in order to share what they're listening to with their friends.)
Additionally, while a Facebook account is required in order to sign up for a Spotify account, users don't actually need to actively use the social network. This means you could create a Facebook account just for the purpose of using Spotify — and then ditch it entirely.
If being forced to create a Facebook account just to sign up for Spotify is a deal breaker for you — or if you don't like the idea of linking your existing account to the service — then I suggest checking out our list of some of the most popular music streaming services. Perhaps you'll find a suitable alternative there.
Related stories:
- Facebook shows off new Timeline profiles, apps and more
- How to try the new Facebook Timeline right now
- What makes Spotify such a great music service?
Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.