American multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Robert Francis has just released his sophomore album, ‘Before Nightfall’. Having released his 2007 debut album, ‘One By One’, at the tender age of 20 years old, critics have compared him to legends like Bruce Springsteen and Townes Van Zandt and the next generation of alt-country acts like Wilco and Ryan Adams.

Also, for a limited time only, sign up to the Robert Francis mailing list and download a free UK exclusive EP featuring 3 rarities. Also be sure to check out the special live EP available now only on Spotify.

Our great friends over at IdentityWorks sent us an amazing Christmas card today. Thanks guys, brilliant card!

A boys choir Christmas card @Spotify from Identity Works on Vimeo.

Clare Maguire is fast becoming known as one to watch for 2011. With an incredibly powerful and haunting vocal, Clare delivers an epic and atmospheric sound to her music and live performances. Having been hailed by Jay-Z as possesing real ’star quality’ and sparking the interest of renowned producer Rik Rubin and Jarvis Cocker - all eyes are on Clare.

Clare’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Light After Dark’ is out February 28th, but in the meantime you can listen to an exclusive 5 track EP only on Spotify! The EP features phenomenal live versions of album tracks ‘Bullet’, which was recorded in the incredible acoustics of St Luke’s Church in London, ‘This Is Not The End’ and Clare’s debut single ‘Aint Nobody’. Plus a cover of Antony & The Johnsons’ ‘Hope There’s Someone’ and exclusive to Spotify Premium, you can listen to the Bloodshy & Avant remix of ‘Strangest Thing’. If you’re a free user click here to listen to the 4 track EP, and if you have Spotify Premium click here to access all 5 tracks - listen now!

Yesterday we revealed our 2010 Music Retrospective, which looked at the most streamed tracks and albums on Spotify this past year. Today we have a series of playlists where labels and some of our music staff pick their favourite tracks of 2010 are.

Our best of 2010 playlists include:

• Spotify Staff Picks 2010
• Best of 2010 from Sony Music UK
• Domino Records Best of 2010
• Finetunes best of 2010
• Finetunes Jazz and Vocal vibes of 2010
• IODA Best of 2010
• Rhino Records best songs of 2010
• EMI Best Of 2010
• PIAS Best of 2010
• Best of 2010 from Universal

Enjoy and be sure to let us know what your best of 2010 list is!

We’ve got an update to Spotify for Windows and Mac OS X that we’ve begun to roll out to users today, version 0.4.9.

It includes a number of bug fixes as well as support for Mac media keys without interfering with iTunes, pausing when volume is lowered and we’ve re-added auto-play for all track links when clicked on from Twitter, Facebook, feed, etc.

As with all new releases for Windows and Mac you will automatically be updated in the next few days as we upgrade all our users.

We’ve also got an iPhone update available in the app store. New features and improvements include:

• A much faster start up speed, Spotify loads 6 times faster than previously.
• Spotify will not start playing after you hangup a call if you have removed your headphones during the call.
• Retina display graphics for iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4G.
• Attach a message when sharing to your Spotify friends.
• Improved how Spotify reloads your position after a restart. You no longer have to wait until you get online or tap to cancel before you can use Spotify.
• Stability fixes related to log out, opening links, changing songs, login, and others.

Enjoy!

To celebrate reaching the end of another fantastic year for music lovers, we’re hitting the rewind button and revealing Spotify’s most streamed tracks and albums of 2010.

We’ve compiled lists for the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Spain, Netherlands and France. You’ll be able to compare musical tastes between countries as well as discover which music has topped the Spotify charts across Europe. You can also step back in time to check out what was topping the charts last year on Spotify.

To discover which tracks have topped the Spotify music charts in 2010 head over to the retrospective home page.

This month’s blog post from Sean Adams, the founder of Drowned in Sound, features several different year-end flavoured playlists…

Don’t be alarmed but that whooshing sound you can hear is your brain whirling at the thought that it is already December and yet it still feels like February. However, don’t worry that beeping sound isn’t some digital alarm bell ringing in your cerebral cortex, it’s probably some electronica or a sample in the depths of one of the year’s finest tracks. Speaking of which, what are the tracks of the year that you really should have heard? If you’ve kept up with my monthly playlists, you will hopefully know quite a few of these already but for the sake of completeness and optimum time-saving, a year’s worth of my listening to 500+ albums and digesting the music media, so you don’t have to, is compiled here…

Drowned in… November
It might be my imagination but I think each of my playlists have revealed both a shift in my taste and in the sound of the year - contrast and compare with each playlist below. From Daft Punk’s Tron soundtrack and Kanye’s critic-pleasing return to James Blake’s stripped down re-jig of Feist’s ‘Limit to Your Love’, November was awash with pianos, strings, beats and submergent synths, often within the first three seconds of a song. There’s a definite chill to this playlist but hopefully the electronic hum will bring some warmth to your ears. Oh and Nicki Minaj swears, a fair bit, in case you’re offended by talk of Dungeon & Dragons.
Listen/subscribe: Drowned in November 2010

Sean’s Songs of the Year
30 of my favourites from 2010 put together as a little mixtape. My number one is either Kelis’ ‘Acapella’ or Perfume Genius’ ‘Mr Petersen’ or maybe Blondes’ ‘Moondance’. Do I really need to pick a favourite?
Sean’s Songs of 2010

Drowned in Sound’s favourite albums of 2010
Last week on DiS we revealed our album of the year and you can flick through them as a playlist. Or listen to a track from each of the top 75, using the following links.
DiS Albums of the Year 2010
DiS Albums of 2010 - Sampler

Continue reading… »

We’re delighted to introduce our special Christmas e-cards allowing you to give the gift of music to your family and friends this holiday season. Or feel free to treat yourself, you deserve it!

You can purchase either one, three, six or 12 months of Spotify Premium and send your loved ones a beautifully designed email or print out the gift to place under the Christmas tree.

Gift codes can then be redeemed on our site so you and your friends can enjoy classic holiday music ad-free and on the go. Merry Christmas!

Flo Rida’s 2009 album R.O.O.T.S was one of last years top selling albums with smash hits such as Right Round and Sugar leading the top of the charts.

Starting today Premium listeners can check out the first half of his new double album, Only One Flo [Part 1]. The album features hits such as Club Can’t Handle Me and Turn Around which are bound to keep the dance floors packed this winter.