by Keegan Sidhu & Elisa Pequini | @keeganjohn & @lipequini Spotify landed in the US only a month ago and it’s already a hit: 1.4 million people have signed up using the free service and of those, 175,000 have already upgraded to one of the paid subscription packages. (Read the original press release here)

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So what’s all the rage about? Popular online music radio and streaming sources, like Pandora and Grooveshark, already exist and have a ton of users. So what is it that has everyone so amped about Spotify’s US arrival? What makes it better than the rest?

I have a few ideas…

First, I think users love the fact that it’s so much like iTunes in its appearance and functionality. This means the learning curve for it is almost non-existent if you’re already familiar with iTunes... And let’s be honest, most of us are. Plus, it’s even better than iTunes because it gives you access to every song on the planet instantly!

Second, the social networking aspect is very smooth. It’s all about sharing these days and music is no exception. Spotify has you covered. You can instantly share what you’re listening to via Twitter, Facebook, with your friends or Messenger. You can also share entire playlists with your friends. Pandora and Grooveshark have sharing features as well, but Spotify is every bit as good or better… They even have tools to help you shorten their URLs.

Finally, Spotify is a separate platform so it doesn’t get in the way of your other work online. You don’t have to worry about accidentally closing the window or tab in your browser and losing a riff right in the middle of your favorite jam! Hey… It’s the little things.

And how has Spotify recruited so many users so quickly?  Social media, of course.  Spotify ingeniously teamed up with Klout to offer Klout users early access, and they were then encouraged to share the news with their Twitter and Facebook networks.  The news spread like wildfire.

So if you’re big on listening to your music online… And you have a friend that can get you in (Spotify is still ‘Invite Only’)… Then check it out and find out for yourself why it’s getting buzz like The Beatles when they first jumped across the pond and came to America.