CNN article: Young listeners opting to stream, not own music

[soulster]

http://us.cnn.com/2012/06/15/tech/web/music-streaming/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5

We have the popularity of Pandora, Spotify, and many other streaming services that allow one to not actually own the music anymore. It's the same as radio without the commercials and station breaks.

I guess a lot of people are content with whatever music is fed to them...within their parameters. me? I prefer to program my own music from my own collection. And, I like quality sound, too.

It may be because I came from the days when all we has were records and tapes. The baby-boom generation likes life on their own terms, not to have someone else make their choice for them. The only way to listen to music on your own terms was to own the music. Radio would do if you wanted to experience different music you liked, but didn't necessarily want to own, or to find new music. I have all of my music on hard drives now, and that's the way I prefer to listen to music, as I have all of it streamed to my main stereo, or to my laptop with good speakers plugged into it for a bedroom system. But I still keep all my records and CDs all boxed up, and I can't seem to part with it.

[Jerry Oz]

I've still got 500 record albums from back then sitting in boxes or on shelves. I started to digitize the ones that I can't find anywhere in the last four years or so. That takes me back to many good times of taking a chance on obscure artists at campus record shops, finding something that I like, putting it on tape and cruising around town, listening to my "discoveries". My friends often wondered what it was that I was having them listen to and many of those songs became part of our soundtrack from those days.

Then, there came cassettes. I've got a few hundred of them and about the same number of commercial CDs. I'm one of those rotten people who has a couple of thousand bootleg CDs, as well. I know it sounds bad, but there is a lot of stuff that I can't find in the shops or on-line, so I get it where I can. I participate in the thread about word association every day. 90% of my responses come from typing key words into Media Player and seeing which of the thousands of songs I have produces a good response. Your post reminded me that it's time to back up my hard drive, so thanks for that.

Since most of my music is ol' skool [[check that: ALL of my music is ol' skool) I feel better having it as well. If I can't find something, I'll get it from I-Tunes [[picked up "I Shoulda Loved Ya" from Narada and "Living it Up" by Bell & James last year, only because they popped into my head), but I can't see myself subscribing to a streaming service.

[splanky]

Whatever floats their boats. This is a different era than what I grew up in so I don't expect them to share the same
sensibilites about music or any other part of culture, for that matter that I do. I listen to and collect a very varied range
of music, old and new. I am constantly tracking new artists through both radio and the internet but always on my own
terms. I'll listen to podcasts and my radio station streams live over the web but I don't like having some wannabe DJ
select what he or she thinks I'll want to hear next. I've tried but won't even suscribe to Pandora....Hey, but I'm not some
twent something with 200 dollar sneaker and a napsack full of gadjects....

[tamla617]

my two youngest,16 and 19,use spotify or something similar.they never had the buying music thing.its alien to us but you should see their faces when i show the an lp! how do you change tracks?random play?whats the point?carry 20 albums?
i dont know what i would have done without my collection,my kids wonder why i do.

tell you what tho' they are going to wonder where their music memories have all gone one day.

[Jerry Oz]

The only thing I wish I had back then was the ability to carry 5,000 songs in my pocket. I remember carrying two peach crates of albums to parties and never once getting out without disappointing someone who wanted to hear something that I didn't have. Then, it was two record crates and a duffle bag full of cassettes and once again, there's always something that I didn't have. Finally, I had a duffle bag full of CDs, more music than I could have imagined before, but it always happened: "You don't have Rapper Dapper Snapper?!" It's like I wasn't prepared or something. I mean I took 48 hours of music to a five hour party and still couldn't satisfy everybody.

[soulster]

I was a DJ in the 80s. If only I could have had the technology that we have today! Laptop, hard drive will all the files instead of lugging turntables and records around.

[destruction]

" I took 48 hours of music to a five hour party and still couldn't satisfy everybody."

This should be on a t-shirt.....with a turntable graphic.

Referring to the tiltle of this thread....nobody, outside of the artist and the record company, acutally OWNS the music.... according to the Industry.

[soulster]

According to the industry, all we own is a license.

[timmyfunk]

They can keep the technology of today. I don't mind bringing a bag of CD's when I DJ an event. I prefer them, as well as vinyl, to anything that's out today.

[marv2]

I've still got 500 record albums from back then sitting in boxes or on shelves. I started to digitize the ones that I can't find anywhere in the last four years or so. That takes me back to many good times of taking a chance on obscure artists at campus record shops, finding something that I like, putting it on tape and cruising around town, listening to my "discoveries". My friends often wondered what it was that I was having them listen to and many of those songs became part of our soundtrack from those days.


Then, there came cassettes. I've got a few hundred of them and about the same number of commercial CDs. I'm one of those rotten people who has a couple of thousand bootleg CDs, as well. I know it sounds bad, but there is a lot of stuff that I can't find in the shops or on-line, so I get it where I can. I participate in the thread about word association every day. 90% of my responses come from typing key words into Media Player and seeing which of the thousands of songs I have produces a good response. Your post reminded me that it's time to back up my hard drive, so thanks for that.

Since most of my music is ol' skool [[check that: ALL of my music is ol' skool) I feel better having it as well. If I can't find something, I'll get it from I-Tunes [[picked up "I Shoulda Loved Ya" from Narada and "Living it Up" by Bell & James last year, only because they popped into my head), but I can't see myself subscribing to a streaming service.

Here Jerry, I have 2,400 albums in storage! LOL!

[marv2]

The only thing I wish I had back then was the ability to carry 5,000 songs in my pocket. I remember carrying two peach crates of albums to parties and never once getting out without disappointing someone who wanted to hear something that I didn't have. Then, it was two record crates and a duffle bag full of cassettes and once again, there's always something that I didn't have. Finally, I had a duffle bag full of CDs, more music than I could have imagined before, but it always happened: "You don't have Rapper Dapper Snapper?!" It's like I wasn't prepared or something. I mean I took 48 hours of music to a five hour party and still couldn't satisfy everybody.

I remember "Rapper Dapper Snapper" Wasn't it by Edwin Birdsong? It was very popular back in the early 80's at college parties, particularly in Ohio.

[soulster]

I love the versatility of working with digital audio files and computer programs. You can do just about anything! I am close to finishing up my colossal project of digitally restoring my records. I just did a stack of them over the weekend. The Minnie Ripperton "Minnie" LP came out great!

[Jerry Oz]

I remember "Rapper Dapper Snapper" Wasn't it by Edwin Birdsong? It was very popular back in the early 80's at college parties, particularly in Ohio.
It was by Edwin Birdsong and unfortunately for me, I happen to live in Ohio where it was popular while I was plumbing the pages of Billboard for what was charting nationally.

[Jerry Oz]

I love the versatility of working with digital audio files and computer programs. You can do just about anything! I am close to finishing up my colossal project of digitally restoring my records. I just did a stack of them over the weekend. The Minnie Ripperton "Minnie" LP came out great!
Soulster, what's a good program for creating mixes?

[marv2]

It was by Edwin Birdsong and unfortunately for me, I happen to live in Ohio where it was popular while I was plumbing the pages of Billboard for what was charting nationally.

We use to party to it down in Bowling Green when I'd come home for breaks in school out West.

[soulster]

Soulster, what's a good program for creating mixes?

You have some multitracks?

[Jerry Oz]

You have some multitracks?

Nope. Just wanting to remix songs. I want something that can beatmap.

[soulster]

Nope. Just wanting to remix songs. I want something that can beatmap.

You can't remix a finished mono or two-track mix. You need the multitracks, and to mix them, and you need a multitrack editor or outboard mixer.

[ms_m]

Many artists get paid every time their song is streamed. It won't make the average "oldie but goodie artist rich but the money adds up quite nicely.

From a professional POV, I rather consumers stream than steal! :)

[marv2]

I think the recording industry is over! It looks like recordings are becoming just advertisements for live performances.

[soulster]

My main complaint with streaming is that content can be revised or removed at any time without warning. That's not good for those who do not own a lot of their music.

The second complaint is that the sound quality is often in question. I know that falls on deaf ears around here, but it's a concern for we who care about quality sound reproduction.

The third issue I have with streaming is that there are a lot of glaring omissions. Again, this isn't good for those who have a wide variety of tastes.

Streaming is just not a good replacement for ownership.

[MrTopCat]

Well, I am 23 and I'd rather buy a CD and then rip it into iTunes, than just buy it directly from iTunes. Firstly because iTunes doesn't have many of the songs/albums that I desire, and secondly, because I do enjoy taking the shrink wrap off and seeing the CD, booklet and cover art for the first time. I do use Spotify a lot, though. And sometimes i stream albums before I buy them just so that I can see if they're worth it.