By: Charlene Yang
Nowadays, almost everyone listens to music on electronic devices, whether it be phones, music players, or computers. Everywhere you look you’ll see people with their earbuds jammed in their ears. But of course, it’s only been recently that online streaming platforms have become a popular way to access songs on devices.
If you’re oblivious to all the technical terms like me, let me explain. Online music streaming services, like Spotify or Pandora, are online platforms, free or paid, that allow people to listen to music without needing to download it. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin. Why should you use online streaming?
One of the biggest arguments for online streaming is the fact that it’s convenient. Most people are lazy, and downloading songs can get tedious. So instead of laboring away at downloading every song or album, people turn to online streaming where they can simply type a song title in the search bar to find it. All these songs are in one database and there’s no hassle in searching through a sea of files for a song you downloaded a month back.
The fact that these streaming services have all their music on online databases also means that fewer resources need to be dedicated to creating physical copies like vinyl records or compact discs. Instead of being limited to having only the songs of a single disc, online streaming provides you with bazillions of songs without the need of buying multiple CDs that will probably pile up in the corner once you’ve changed your taste in music.
Online streaming also makes music available to almost everyone. Since most online streaming is free besides the occasional advertising pop-up, there’s no barrier for people who can’t afford to spend money buying music. All people need is access to the internet, and they are good on songs until they have to get offline.
Online streaming also provides a place for fledgeling and hobbyist musicians to share their music. There’s no cost to making a start in someone’s music career by publishing online.
These services also allow communities to be built around the music that is streamed. Comment sections provide a space where listeners can bond over a shared interest in an artist’s music or voice their opinions about a certain song.
Streaming platforms also benefit artists. One big competitor in the online streaming business, Spotify, provides artists statistics on where their listeners are located in the world, allowing artists to plan concerts where their fans are most active.
With online streaming, piracy also becomes less of a problem. Fewer people would pirate music if they could just access it on a free streaming platform. Piracy can be avoided with streaming services. Artists with music on streaming services get royalties based on the number of replays their songs get, so they can still make money off their music being free to listeners while listeners who normally don’t pay for music don’t feel the need to pirate.
One last note: streaming platforms also help people discover new songs. Services like Spotify have a section for suggested songs, whether they’re tailored to your streaming history or the top trending songs currently. It’s a good way to expand your musical horizon when no one’s there to suggest music to you. Without it, there are songs you probably wouldn’t have found if you had stuck to your usual taste. So why not give it a shot? You might find something new!