 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Spotify
Common Sense Media says
Free cloud-based music service focuses on sharing.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that to use the Spotify music service, new users are required to log in with Facebook, where their listening activity will be published unless users adjust their privacy settings. Once on, kids can access just about any song you can imagine, so it is not difficult to be exposed to iffy content. The service requires users to download an application.
What kids can learn
Kids can create playlists, share tracks with friends who use Spotify, or receive suggestions based on song picks. As with any social media site or service, if kids and their friends use Spotify responsibly, it can be a great way to connect and find out about new music. (However, if kids are linked to strangers through Facebook or Twitter, Spotify offers them another way to talk.) This isn't a deep music site, but aspiring musicians can find friends' picks and artists' career bios.
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communicationlistening, multiple forms of expression
- Creativity
- Emotional Development
- Health & Fitness
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Self-Direction
- Tech Skillsevaluating media messages, social media
- Thinking & Reasoning
What's it about?
Users can listen to unlimited tracks for six months; after that, there's a listening cap of 10 hours per month, and each song can only be played five times -- unless you have a paid subscription. New users are required to download an application and log in to the Spotify music service using Facebook, and unless they adjust their privacy settings, all listening activity will be published. Once logged in, kids can access millions of songs -- and could be exposed to iffy content.
Is it any good?
SPOTIFY offers users free access to more than 15 million songs -- you can find and listen to full-length versions of everything from torch songs to 2 Live Crew and drag and drop your favorites into a personal playlist. The application also automatically syncs with your iTunes or Windows Music Library to let you access songs you've already saved or downloaded. You can build playlists, share them with friends, and enjoy playlists and song suggestions from friends as well. Although there are two paid subscription options -- $4.99 or $9.99 a month -- you don't need to pay a dime to find and listen to the music you like.
So what's the catch? Well, you have to download the application to use Spotify, and you can no longer do that without agreeing to log in through Facebook -- if you don't have an account, you're asked to create one. Logging in through Facebook means you automatically agree to share your music picks with friends you're linked to (unless you change your Facebook settings). And parents concerned about lyrical content should know that teens using Spotify can easily search for and find songs with iffy content.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about how your family feels about handling music: What kind of music do you parents say is OK to listen to? Are there any types or songs they don't think you're quite ready to rock out to yet?
This site encourages you to connect with your Facebook friends to share musical suggestions. Are there any risks or concerns from letting other people access your music playlists?
Music is a form of self-expression. How do you express yourself? What kinds of songs do you like, and what do you think the singer is trying to say?
What kids can learn
Kids can create playlists, share tracks with friends who use Spotify, or receive suggestions based on song picks. As with any social media site or service, if kids and their friends use Spotify responsibly, it can be a great way to connect and find out about new music. (However, if kids are linked to strangers through Facebook or Twitter, Spotify offers them another way to talk.) This isn't a deep music site, but aspiring musicians can find friends' picks and artists' career bios.
Subjects
- Arts: music, rhythm, singing
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading: reading
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication: listening, multiple forms of expression
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development:
- Health & Fitness:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Self-Direction:
- Tech Skills: evaluating media messages, social media
- Thinking & Reasoning:
How kids will learn
Kids can discover new, similar musicians by creating radio stations based on their favorite bands. Artist listings include a brief bio with career highlights and some music genre information; however, adding more written content about the musical techniques, instruments, and other elements used to produce songs would help increase Spotify's learning factor.
How parents can help
- Create playlists of age-appropriate music your kids may not be familiar with.
- Read some of the musician bios to your kids and discuss the skills, training, and perseverance it takes to record an album.
- Have your kids guess what instruments are being used to make certain sounds in a song.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Overall well designed with minor flaws
It's a great application, however requires a Facebook account. The best thing about it is the sharing and social aspect, it allows you to discover new music and share your own personal tastes.
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AGE
Good music but wasn't what I expected!
I guess I should have known that nothing comes for free! Until I examined the site, actually through Wikipedia, I thought the ads were the way the site made money. So, unless I wanted unlimited access or no ads, I was o.k. I didn't realize that after a 6-mos. limit, you can only listen 10 hours a month and songs can only be played 5 times. Content can definitely be R-rated but that it did say so for each song if you pulled up an album. I arbitrarily picked ages 14-up...that would be up to parents. Also, I am just not going to pay $10 a month to listen to music.
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AGE
Best Music Network EVER
commonsensemedia needs to get over themselves. I'm 12 and I use spotify, nothing wrong with it. Yet again if kids choose to type in " s*x" or swear words then thats their fault. Besides do you want to spend money on Itunes to buy your kids a album? NOOOOOO... Spotify has free music to listen too.. so HAA.
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AGE
:)
im thinking that there is a lot of music that parents dont want there kids to listen to. Make sure they see that,
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| Genre: | Music |
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