Spotify is the hottest new application for listening to music on the internet, and I've followed the advice of many a blogger in trying it out. Current users of iTunes software will find the look and feel of the program very familiar, although the way it works is utterly unique.

You don't need to spend hours ripping your CD collection or downloading mp3s from those naughty Torrent sites, as Spotify works on through Cloud Computing. For those unfamiliar with the term, this means that all the actual music files are stored online in a central hub, from which any user can stream in realtime - provided they have a broadband web connection and the small application software.

In addition to the basic ability to search for specific artists, albums, or songs, there are Radio sites (customisable by era and genre), and playlist functionalities. All this gives you the power to find music you've never heard by listening to Radio lists, or build playlists from whatever music you feel like hearing right now from any combination of searches and radio stations. The entire service is free, with a small number of adverts, unless you wish to pay a subscription to remove the ads.

If, like me, you tend to listen to music in front of your PC while you work, Spotify is a powerful way of expanding your "library" exponentially. However,  if you want to burn CDs, add files to an iPod or mp3 player, or hear the song files offline, you need to looking at a different media player.