A Facebook account is now a requirement to join Spotify, the music streaming service, according to changes on Spotify’s sign up page. You’ve been able to link your Spotify and Facebook accounts and login through Facebook for a while, but this takes that quite a bit further in that without a Facebook account you cannot join Spotify at all.
Current Spotify users will be unaffected, but this hasn’t stopped an outpouring of anger on the Spotify support forums:
Wow. Dumbest thing i’ve ever heard. I’ll never use Spotify then
This is a terrible move, stop sucking up to Facebook and get your iPad app done
I don’t have Facebook, because I don’t want Facebook. I’m paying 10 euro each month for a premium service, not for joining Facebook!
The anger has elicited a response from Spotify customer service, although I doubt it is what the anti-Facebook crows will want to hear:
Unfortunately you will need a Facebook account to access Spotify from now on, unless you already have an account set up.
This does not stop you creating the Facebook account adding nothing to it and making it totally private as the Facebook account does not have to be actively used.