mSpot turns iTunes music into cloud streaming service
updated 10:30 am EDT, Wed May 19, 2010
mSpot cloud music streaming enters private beta
mSpot today formally previewed a unique online music service that could eliminate the need for local songs for some users. The self-title feature gives users between 2GB and 20GB of storage for streaming either to a browser on a Mac or Windows PC and, currently, Android phones. It can work purely with folders but is uniquely aware of iTunes and will export playlists, ratings and other metadata.
As it uses an app to send the files, mSpot automatically detects when new songs have been added and uploads those in the background.
The technology is currently in a private beta which gives users 2GB of space for free but expands this to 10GB for $3 per month and 20GB for $5 per month. A universal release should take place within the next few months. It's unclear if mSpot will make an iPhone app or otherwise support other platforms.
mSpot is potentially beating Apple to a cloud-based iTunes, as the iPod creator is widely rumored to have been negotiating for streaming a collection online but may have encountered licensing-related setbacks as uploading songs to a server may be considered a second license.
