The Spotify Platform beta is out now, and it’s fully-loaded with not only a selection of brand-new Spotify Apps but also a whole host of other new features, tweaks and general polish.

After accepting the new Ts&Cs, you’ll see a redesigned homepage using a new HTML5 template. A new Apps section is in the left sidebar near the top. Click the App Finder link in Apps area to view the current list of eleven launch apps:

Here’s a look at some of the apps:

 

Last.fm

The Last.fm app lets you sign in to an existing Last.fm account (or create a new one) then displays an overpage page with options to switch to pages for Now Playing, Recommended and Albums. Hover over any cover art to listen to the album. As you play tracks, the Now Playing tab (default) updates with details on the current song’s artist. A Similar Tracks Playlist button generates a custom playlist for you, based on the current song. There’s also lots of tag links to genre pages on the Last.fm website. You can also drag-and-drop any song on the Last.fm icon in the sidebar to generate a Similar To… list of 20 songs.

This app is bound to become one of my favorites, I’ve used Last.fm for a while now and their an ideal partner for Spotify. The app has one minor annoyance in the beta version: it often forgot my login so I had to re-type my details each time. Last.fm support are aware of this and and working a fix.

 

 

Songkick

Songkick asks for your Facebook login then displays a view of concerts based on where you live and artists in your library. Click a show to view and listen to a short tracklist. Ticket links jump out the Songkick websites.

 

Pitchfork

View curated content from Pitchfork, with buttons to play any album or add to playlists. Options at the top jump to Best New Albums (default), All Reviews, and Playlists.

 

Moodagent

The Moodagent app has “select a mood” playlist generation buttons and drag-and-drop any song to create an editable mood-based selection. You can change the parameters to tune the curve and update the playlist on-the-fly.

 

Soundrop

Soundrop is the killer app in this initial selection: it’s like Turntable.fm but without the dancers. Instead, invite friends to listen along to a playlist or join one of the live listens. Guests can add songs to Upcoming Tracks, and other guests can click to vote up songs to the top. The chat window is a bit small (you can only see about three lines at time) and there are a few other limitations in the first version, but there are loads of updates planned soon.

 

TuneWiki

The TuneWiki app displays the lyrics of the currently playing song, highlighting each line karaoke-style. The links at the bottom all link to pages on the TuneWiki website. You can also login via Facebook, Twitter or create a TuneWiki account to edit lyrics.

 

Every launch app works perfectly out-of-the-box (apart from a few minor re-login glitches). The Apps section in the sidebar does push down your playlists, and when you have lots of apps you’re gonna start wishing for a collapsible folder. Each of the above apps can offer a unique component to your listening habits, provided you and the artists you want to hear are on Spotify. Expect to see waves of new apps offering things like playlist sharing, “specialist” curated recommendations, more Turntable.fm-type apps; the possibilities are immense!

 

UPDATE

Check out our new Spotify Apps page, tracking the complete list of current and forthcoming Spotify Apps!