Is everyone using music subscription services these days?

I'd include jazz in the pop/folk category, and even a lot of classical music was functional or social music -- like liturgical music or noble dance music of the baroque era etc. -- but of course the categories blend and merge and people making commercial and folk art are still making art, and especially since the 20th century the high art/low art divide, such as it may ever have been, isn't so hard and fast. And of course "small" is relative but I'm thinking of the whole universe of how and why and when humans make and use music which to me is everything from academic art music and professional pop to people singing in church and singing lullabies to their kids. We have all these new and different ways of physically making and transmitting music, and of course styles change, but I suspect that the reason people make music and the ways people use music in their lives is more or less similar down throughout the history of civilization. That's why when I read that something like vast access to lots of recorded music is turning music into something that it wasn't before or that humans think of it or use it differently now than 20 years ago or 10 years ago or 5 years ago, well, I just don't think the difference are that profound or fundamental. Just my opinion of course.

 

No, I already pay monthly for too many things I used to get for free.

 

I use Amazon music in my car for the work week drive. I find tons of good new "neo-psyche" groups but the sheer amount of music today makes it hard to listen to a group often....too much music coming at me at once.

 

I agree with that ^ (where I bolded your excerpt) ~ though the means by which music is accessed will have a profound effect going forward, just as will the preponderance of commercially available music which will be neither composed by, nor performed by, humans.

 

Ah, well, not composed by humans, that will be interesting, when and if artificial intelligence starts making art...that'll change everything about the way we think about art, consciousness and culture. I think there's still a lot of human input into the music made by AI to date, and others of it has been made to emulated music and styles of past composer, not so much creating something novel or "expressive" (and that will be the big question, can and if and when an AI can be expressive).

 

Spotify

 

Not sure if this is the best place for this, but reading this today made me feel bad about using Spotify :

"But if you’re using a streaming service to listen to anything other than the most-streamed tracks, your money isn’t supporting what you’re hearing."

How to Be a Responsible Music Fan in the Age of Streaming | Pitchfork

Written by Damon Krukowski, former member of Galaxie 500. It's a good read. I use Spotify to hear stuff I haven't heard before, and I've heard a lot. That means lesser known artists, and definitely not the Taylor Swift's of the world.

 

Not me

 

I have nothing against subscription services, just no need for them. I use free streaming (YouTube, Amazon, Bandcamp) to preview this-or-that or listen quickly to X song that I don't own a copy of, but for actual real music listening, I already have ridiculously more records, CDs, and FLACs than there's time for anyhow, including lots of ongoing new discoveries, and equipment with decent fidelity to play them on wherever I spend time, so I'm all set.

 

I don't subscribe to any music services. My only music related "subscription" is the Dave's Picks series from the Grateful Dead.

 

I use Spotify exclusively for checking albums I don't have and decide whether it's worth buying them. Oh, and sometimes to listen to music while I shower.

 

I don't use a subscription service yet. I suppose that could change down the road. I don't use it for 3 reasons:

1. Sound quality
2. I like physical media, and I like to own music, not rent it.
3. I find the whole process of managing and playing digital files (downloaded or streaming) very confusing and cumbersome. I love the simplicity of putting an LP or cd (or SACD or DVD) on and playing it.No need for music streamers/servers, dedicated hard drives, etc., etc.

 

This is exactly how I feel. I don't get the same enjoyment out of streaming as I do when I buy a cd and listen to that. My attention span is all over the place when I stream vs listening to cds.

For instance, I'm in the mood to listen to the Beatles on the drive home. If I pull up the Beatles in Google Play I'm going to be tempted to skip around all their albums because I have every one at my fingertips. I won't be able to focus. With a cd, it's the opposite.

I don't know why this is, but I enjoy and get much more enjoyment out of a cd that I bought. I will listen to it over and over and really enjoy it.

 

I have the Amazon music thing thats free with prime. There's only two albums that I was really wanting to hear that luckily for me ended up being on that service, I listened to them a few times and loved them so much I bought the CD's. So maybe I'm not doing it quite right...

 

I’ve been using Apple Music since it started. Very pleased with it. Most every day I check out the “for you” section and find something interesting that I’ve never heard before. Also every Friday I scope the new releases. Sound quality is excellent, though most find it lacking. Only complaint is the lack of liner notes..for that I use Wikipedia to get details.
Definitely has made a impact on my music purchases. Years back I’d buy 2-3 discs a week, now maybe 10 a year. There are a handful of artists I feel compelled to buy a physical product.
I still spin discs and records most every day, but 75 % of my listening is streaming these days.

 

I don't.

 

I tried it but really free youtube meets most of my sampling needs, stuff I NEED to own gets bought on Cd, Tape or LP

 

Nope. I do occasionally use YouTube to stream music, and have been tempted to get a YouTube Red subscription more to watch videos with no ads than anything, but overall my main ways of listening to music is by purchasing it.

 

I did not know of that.

 

Exactly. For me, Spotify is just a surveying tool, not something I use for my dedicated listening. I'm more likely to use YouTube, but if I like what I'm hearing, I'll buy the CD eventually.

 

Not me, I am happy with records and CDs.

 

Nope.

 

No.

 

I use Spotify premium to play albums I already own. I don't listen to any new music on there. It's convenient in the kitchen, the conservatory, the garden and when I"m away from home. I could never listen to albums I loved but didn't own. Not owning music would be very weird but that's only because I'm old school.

 

It makes me laugh when people say that Spotify is too expensive. £10 a month to have access to the biggest record collection of all time.