Spotify to gradually phase out P2P network

Sweden-based commercial music service, Spotify, has decided to gradually phase out its P2P network. The service plans to rely solely on its central servers for streaming purposes.

Speaking to TorrentFreak, Alison Bonny, head of communications, Spotify, said, "We're now at a stage where we can power music delivery through our growing number of servers and ensure our users continue to receive a best-in-class service."

Essentially, Spotify says it has bolstered its central servers and is growing exponentially, allowing it to power music delivery without requiring a P2P service.

When subscribers of the service play a track from the desktop client, the audio stream comes from three sources: a cached file on the computer, one of Spotify's servers, or from other subscribers through P2P. Roughly 80 percent streaming happens through the P2P network. The P2P network has been vital for the service - a great solution to fight music piracy - to scale up quickly without having to invest heavily in servers and bandwidth.

Spotify recently announced it will be offering unlimited free music to desktop users.

Recently, Spotify also went free on mobile devices based on the Android and the iOS platform, however there it is all based on shuffling, where one can listen to any artiste by shuffling. The service is still not available in India.