There’s this little aluminium box on the corner of my desk. It has a screen, a keyboard and some wires sprouting out the back. When I bought one of its many predecessors, in 1987, I thought it might b quite useful for writing, designing leaflets and possibly, if I got clever, the occasional drawing. Twenty two years later it seems intent on taking over my life. Now it’s even dictating what music I listen to.

It all began with connecting the little blighter to the stereo. Computer music is becoming the next big thing in the hi-fi world, largely thanks to Apple and iTunes. You can copy all your CDs to the computer’s hard disk (this is called “ripping”, to make it sound less boring) or download tracks from the iTunes store (this is called “expensive”) and then play them direct over the stereo. This being hi-fi, you can complicate it as much as you want with external boxes and bits and pieces, but that’s not the point. If you have a spare computer lying around, you can even set it up exclusively for this purpose, an excellent use for a machine which has been cruelly tossed aside in favour of something pointlessly bigger and more expensive.

Anyway, back to the music. I first heard of Spotify via a friend. I duly investigated and there it was, a website dedicated to playing music. It has an interface not unlike iTunes, so it is easy to use, quite neat and best of all, it appears to offer free music forever, if you didn’t mind the (very) occasional advertisement.

Spotify has an incredible range of music available, all for the price of an internet connection. You can listen as long as you like but you can’t download anything. Type in an artist’s name and you can not only explore what they’ve recorded but also learn about similar artists. You can’t help being drawn further and further away from your original search as you delve into unfamiliar music.

There are a couple of good games you can play with Spotify. The first is to try and catch it out. I’ve read other writers who haven’t been able to manage this. Frankly, they’re not trying hard enough. Either that or they weren’t brought up in the 1970s. Sadly there is no Fabulous Poodles and Those Naughty Lumps are notable by their absence. However I was taken aback to discover Spotify had loads of Blossom Dearie and was no stranger to Los Fabulosos Cadillacs or Roger Ruskin Spear. Some of this stuff I hadn’t heard for thirty years. Admittedly the odd track is best left lying face down in the warm pool of nostalgic memory. The past is an okay place to visit but I have no desire to live there.

The other Spotify game is to type in a song title, an old standard such as On The Street Where You Live. Are there really 120 versions? Isn’t it time we had another one?

Anyway, that’s enough about my musical tastes. Before the people behind Spotify change their mind and make you pay for it, go sign up and do your own exploring.

If you come across The Fabulous Poodles, let me know.