Did you ever think anything could replace your iPod? Well, this service could be it. Spotify has been around in Europe for quite a while – however, due to legal issues has not been able to launch in the United States. Just a few days ago, though, they started service here in the US and so far it’s been a major success.

What is Spotify, though? Well, it’s really cool. It’s a giant library of music with millions of songs that you can access from anywhere, through the cloud. Instead of Google, Amazon, or Apple’s services where you already have to own the music to listen to it, with Spotify you get access to every song in their library – which is gigantic.

But how much does it cost, you might ask? Free, for a lucky few. If you manage to score one of their coveted invitations, you get access to their whole library for nothing. However, there are some drawbacks – there are ads, and you don’t get access through their app on your smartphone. However, the major holdup for the free version is the required invitation. You can request an invitation from their website, but it’s already been discovered that this can take months to receive. Some of you just can’t wait – for $4.99 a month, you get their “Unlimited” package, which is a little misleading – it’s not quite unlimited. You don’t need an invitation, and there are no ads – however, you still don’t get access on your smartphone, which is a pretty major feature. For those who just love to take their music on the go, there is a third option – “Premium”. For $9.99 a month, the Premium package earns you the ability to listen from your smartphone, and the ability to save music offline for later listening – just in case you don’t have service while you’re looking for tunes.

And just how big is their library, really? Does it live up to their claims? Well, I’ve been testing it over the last few days and so far I have to say – yes! The library of music available for your listening is absolutely huge – I’m incredibly impressed. I even found some smalltown garage bands from where I grew up available for listening. It really is a massive library.

Is Spotify worth the money? I would say – 100% yes. So far, this is one of my favorite technology developments of 2011, save the iPad 2 of course. Anyone who loves music should give this service a try – if only for a month. Is it really going to replace the iPod? Not anytime in the near future, but maybe sometime long down the road. Until then – happy listening!