ITE: Streaming Music on Spotify
If you listen to music, you’re probably no stranger to music streaming services.
Spotify is one of the most popular, polished platforms for music streaming. It can be used for free, but users have the option to upgrade to Spotify Premium for $10 a month so that there are no disruptive ads, and unlimited skips--just to name two features that make it worth your hard-earned cash.
If you’re not up to speed with music streaming services, that’s perfectly fine. In this article, I’ll walk you through the technology and how to use it.
What is Music Streaming? Well, some said it’s the future of music. Others said it’s not the future of music. Wherever you stand on that fence, music streaming has gained a lot of popularity and momentum since its debut in, roughly, 2005, with the release of Pandora. Business Insider released an article in 2017 stating that more people were paying for music streaming services than Netflix. According to them, a whopping 100 million people worldwide were paying for music streaming services. That’s a lot of people!
But what it is, exactly? The first hit on a quick Google search can summarize quite nicely:
“Streaming music, or more accurately streaming audio, is a way of delivering sound—including music—without requiring you to download files from the internet. Music services like Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Music use this method to provide songs that can be enjoyed on all types of devices.”
In simpler terms, streaming music is pulling the audio directly from a source (like Spotify), and has to be done with an Internet connection--or at least the data on your phone. It’s a way of listening to music without buying a physical copy and worrying about scratched CDs. Or, if you buy digital albums, streaming the album instead can save you storage space on your computer or device, because the audio is coming over an Internet connection.
The Music Industry How does the industry feel about streaming? The industry doesn’t mind since it boosts their revenue. Individual artists are a bit more put off by it though, and understandably so; unless you’re Taylor Swift, then it can be difficult to profit in the music industry, especially in light of streaming services. This chart will show you why:
Yeah. It’s a little bleak, honestly. These numbers have changed, slightly, but not enough to make a huge difference in the pockets of lesser-known musicians. One who notably discusses the challenges of the music industry is Abney Park’s “Captain Robert,” or Robert Brown. Captain Robert is something of a niche artist, with most of his music catering to the steampunk community. His band is very popular among steampunks, but not as known to the masses. Perhaps the biggest exposure to the masses the band has ever experienced was when their song “Sleep Isabella” played in an episode of True Blood. Brown maintains a Facebook where fans can friend him, and there he talks about his day-to-day life as an artist and a father. He has on numerous occasions discussed streaming and how it affects his career. The introduction of music streaming helped for exposure and gaining a larger audience, but unfortunately, also reduced Brown’s cash sales.
Although not the most profitable, it’s not all bad, either. Up and coming YouTube artists often put their music on Spotify for streaming. Let’s take Jonathan Young as an example. Although it isn’t much, Young does have the opportunity to generate revenue from streaming, and he uses YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music alongside his BandCamp, where listeners can buy his work.
So Spotify... I’m a bit biased. Spotify is my favorite music streaming service for its user-friendly interface and easy navigation. But there are numerous other streaming services: Apple Music, Google Play Music, Pandora...the list continues, but those are some of the top hits. Choosing your streaming service depends largely on where you want to stream from (your phone? your laptop?) and the manufacturer of your device. For example, if you have a Google phone, you probably don’t want to stream from Apple Music. It could work, but not well. I recommend sticking to what you know is compatible, and using Apple services with Apple products. Similarly, use Google services with Google products. Spotify is not affiliated with either Apple or Google, and I have found it to work well on devices from both manufacturers. But in the end it’s up to you, and you learn by trial and error. Don’t be afraid to try multiple services and then settle on one. It’s all for our amusement as music consumers anyway, so experiment and have fun!
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What is your favorite music streaming service? Do you have more than one, and if so, why? Comment below and tell me what you think about this article and about streaming music! I’m interested in your opinions!
Signing off for the evening!
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