Spotify "Offline Mode" Files - are they mine?

August 3, 2011 6:56 PM

So Spotify has a premium service that allows you to download the files for "offline" use. Does this mean that if I use spotify for a month, download twenty songs, and then cancel the premium service, that I keep the songs on my computer?

I can't find much online about it. The first article that I read on NY Times by David Pogue (link) seems to suggest that I keep the physical files even after I've canceled, unless I've read that wrong. The Spotify website seems to skirt around the issue unless I missed a hidden portion. Other websites have contradicted Pogue.

Do I download the files to my hard drive, only to find out it is in some weird file format that only Spotify can play? Or do I get mp3s?

I'm not trying to skirt the system (there are plenty of ways to do that as is), but if I get a lot more songs for the price of the album I was already going to buy, I might as well do it.

posted by cavs33 to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

My guess is when you uninstall it, it takes the songs with it. I wonder what kind of DRM they're using.

If you want mp3s, look into tune bite. Internal recording to mp3. :P
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 7:10 PM on August 3, 2011

Best answer: The files are obfuscated and distributed across the local storage cache. You can reassemble them into platform-neutral OGG files with third-party clients. The local cache self-destructs after 30 days.
posted by holgate at 7:14 PM on August 3, 2011 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks. I kind of figured that. In my head it sounded good, though.
posted by cavs33 at 7:32 PM on August 3, 2011