About a month ago, Spotify became available here in the US and invitations for use were going out here and there. I think I’d gotten one, but by the time I sat down to try it, I couldn’t find it. I bit the bullet and paid $9.99 to sign up for the monthly subscription. After just five minutes I have this advice for you.

Sign up for Spotify.

Sam Luce wrote a great article about his impressions of Spotify right here. One thing he said is that having Spotify gives you an opportunity to preview music before you buy it. He was referring to the free version. I’d take that a step forward and say, if you subscribe to Spotify, you never have to buy music again (kinda).

I would say that over the past 7-10 years of ministry, I’ve probably spent more than $50 t0 $100 a year on music. Whether it was some new music to play for walk-in music, fun music for game times or even a song here or there for use in an illustration. If you’re spending money like that on music, why not just spend the $9.99 a month and have access to any song at any time. With the paid app, you can download the music to your iPod, iPad or iPhone and play all the music in your playlists without the need of internet streaming.

Also, if the money is an issue, consider splitting the subscription fees with the student ministry. Their need for new music is voracious and Spotify is a great solution for them as well. Also, with other Kidmin leaders using Spotify, you can check other people’s playlists to discover new music. It’s a great tool and you’ll be hooked once you sign up.