Grooveshark Debuts Fast HTML-Based Interface, Hikes Up Prices

Grooveshark, the popular and somewhat controversial music streaming site has just gotten a major update. It's got a snazzy new interface which, while pretty nice looking, doesn't really seem to bring anything new. That's until you dig under the surface and realize that everything's done using HTML and JavaScript rather than with Flash as before.

Dig a little deeper and you get an even bigger surprise, though it's probably not going to be a pleasant one, the paid versions - there are two now - are significantly more expensive.

Well, if you've been following the the Grooveshark blog, it's not going to be a surprise, but if you were planning to pony up for the streaming service, to get access to the desktop and mobile apps and get rid of the really annoying ads, then you're out of luck.

"As you know if you read the announcement we made a while back, or saw the gigantic counter over on our VIP page, the price of Grooveshark VIP is going up on December 1," Grooveshark announced a little over a week ago.

"As December 1 is nigh upon us, the change is almost here. Here’s what’s changing: $6/month (or $60/year) for Grooveshark Plus, and $9/month ($90/year) for Grooveshark Anywhere," it said.

The Grooveshark Plus package enables users to get rid of the ads and get their hands on the desktop app. In fact, they'll be getting everything VIP accounts are already getting except access to mobile apps.

For mobile access, you're going to have to move up one tier to Grooveshark Anywhere which allows users to stream songs on their iPhones and Android devices as well as other, as-yet unannounced, devices.

On to the good news though, the new interface is noticeably faster and, thanks to relying on standard web technologies, cross-platform compatible.

What this means is that you'll be able to stream songs from Grooveshark on your iPad or iPhone device, which don't support the Adobe Flash Player, using the browser. As an added bonus, the new interface should have a lighter memory footprint as well.

Unfortunately, the Grooveshark team is still in the process of upgrading the infrastructure so the service is too unreliable at the moment to get a good feel of the new UI, but it's certainly looking good so far.