MOG vs Spotify, round two: MOG hits back with free service

Apparently in an effort to out-box Spotify, MOG is now offering a free version of its service supported by ads. There's a difference in that it uses game technology to encourage users to share what they're listening to with friends and check out new music, and by doing so the user "earns" more free music. It sounds a bit complicated- at least to me, since I'm not a gamer, but it's explained in depth on the MOG Blog.

The new, free service is only available online, and while I think it's a great way for those still playing the MOG vs Spotify challenge to decide which service they prefer, for ten bucks a month I say MOG is an incredible deal so just take the plunge. I'm constantly amazed by what I find available on it. Plus, the MOG Blog is a good place to find out about re-issues and new releases- there's no way I would have otherwise known that Kid Creole and the Coconuts have a new album out, almost every Pink Floyd album is about to be re-issued in deluxe packages, and Grace Jones' "Hurricane" is available in the US for the first time now as a double album.

One of the best aspects about subscribing to music online is that it really does make it incredibly easy to engage with music almost immediately. Last weekend Molly and I were discussing, well, pretty much everything under the sun, and she mentioned Jackson Browne was her favorite singer. Snob that I am, I met that proclamation with a bit of derision, only to find out the next day as I was reading Keith Richards' autobiography that he listened to "Running on Empty" constantly when it came out. So guess what- I'm revisiting an album that I haven't listened to in over 30 years, with older ears and you know what? Molly and Keith know a thing or two.

You can subscibe to MOG or get in on the free service by clicking that link over there on the right.