For people with a streaming music service

[Nitefly]

Alternatively you could have opened the iTunes Store on your phone, bought the album and had it downloaded in the same 20 seconds. You then own the music instead of perpetually just renting it.

That would be hugely cost ineffective - the subscription service is cheaper than paying ~£10 to download the album.

Take the wedding playlist exercise... would you suggest I purchase digital copies of each song?

There is, in reality, no day-to-day advantage to owning copies in the current age. Likewise, Netflix etc and rental services makes owning films redundant (unless the cost for owning the film is nominal, or you watch the film again and again, you may as well just rent).

If you think it’s a material risk that Apple will pull Apple Music, or increase prices, then don’t subscribe. In the meantime, I will take that risk and enjoy unlimited music conveniently at a decent price.

 

[BowdonUK]

I would join the Amazon audio store they have. But so far they don't seem to let me download it in .mp3 format so I can move it around.

I think they use some proprietary format. I should be able to get it in a format that I can move around to different devices.

 

[mrochester]

That would be hugely cost ineffective - the subscription service is cheaper than paying ~£10 to download the album.

Take the wedding playlist exercise... would you suggest I purchase digital copies of each song?

There is, in reality, no day-to-day advantage to owning copies in the current age. Likewise, Netflix etc and rental services makes owning films redundant (unless the cost for owning the film is nominal, or you watch the film again and again, you may as well just rent).

If you think it’s a material risk that Apple will pull Apple Music, or increase prices, then don’t subscribe. In the meantime, I will take that risk and enjoy unlimited music conveniently at a decent price.

The day to day advantage is that when you stop paying you get to keep what you have bought. It means you aren’t trapped paying a subscription for the rest of your life.

 

[james.miller]

The day to day advantage is that when you stop paying

 

[Liquidfox]

Spotify is a tiny amount each month, and you don't lose access if you stop paying, you just get adverts instead.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

why isnt there an andriod app yet that is basically spotify for locally stored music?
seriously why cant i just have the interface and playlist options with the look...why is that so hard?

 

[ic1male]

Spotify is a tiny amount each month, and you don't lose access if you stop paying, you just get adverts instead.

But I wouldn't be able to use it offline when I go running with my iPod.

I've managed to get about 9 months of Spotify free so far and I believe Shazam gives you 3 months of free Apple Music which is where I might head next. The worst thing will be re-adding all the songs in my playlists. But if it saves me £30 then I'll do it.

 

[BigBoy]

why isnt there an andriod app yet that is basically spotify for locally stored music?
seriously why cant i just have the interface and playlist options with the look...why is that so hard?

See my post above, run an audio sonic server at home have access to all your music wherever you are you can create playlists or just hit random play.

 

[FerretBoy]

I threw away all my physical music and deleted my digital. Spotify give me endless amounts of content and really helps me find exciting bands etc.

 

[Martynt74]

But I wouldn't be able to use it offline when I go running with my iPod.

I've managed to get about 9 months of Spotify free so far and I believe Shazam gives you 3 months of free Apple Music which is where I might head next. The worst thing will be re-adding all the songs in my playlists. But if it saves me £30 then I'll do it.

Check out an app called SongShift, costs a couple quid but well worth it!

 

[mrochester]

Spotify is a tiny amount each month, and you don't lose access if you stop paying, you just get adverts instead.

Its a relatively small amount in the grand scheme of things but still a lot more than I’d ever pay for music and I wouldn’t even get to keep the stuff I’ve paid for. You’re also committing to renting music forever and the longer you keep it i’m guessing the stronger the feeling of Stockholm syndrome as you’ll always be aware that as soon as you stop paying you’ll lose the lot.

 

[Mobius 1]

Ditched physical/MP3’s as soon as Apple Music was a thing. Never looked back

faffing about with MP3’s and a MP3 player with drag and drop, files names etc was such a ball ache.

For 9.99 a month it’s a no brainier. I would have been spending roughly that on a single album anyways.

and, it’s all on my phone. So I don’t need two devices.

 

[Martynt74]

and the longer you keep it i’m guessing the stronger the feeling of Stockholm syndrome as you’ll always be aware that as soon as you stop paying you’ll lose the lot.

Or that you realise you get your moneys worth and don't want to stop paying because you'd miss out.

As said, it works fine if you only listen to the same music all the time, but i have playlists that must pull music from about 100 different albums. Thats about 10 years of Spotify subscriptions right there!

 

[Mobius 1]

Yeah. I’ve got about 10 curated playlists that update themselves each week with new music. I feel I get more than my money’s worth to be honest.

 

[mrochester]

Or that you realise you get your moneys worth and don't want to stop paying because you'd miss out.

As said, it works fine if you only listen to the same music all the time, but i have playlists that must pull music from about 100 different albums. Thats about 10 years of Spotify subscriptions right there!

I guess you have no choice but to continue paying whether you like it or not! You’re committed now.

 

[Martynt74]

Course i do, i could cancel anytime, but then i'd be stuck listening to the same albums over and over like i used to.

Being able to choose a weekly playlist which gives about 30 new songs every week is incredible. I can then choose to buy the albums of anything i really like that to get the full benefit on my hifi.

 

[mrochester]

Course i do, i could cancel anytime, but then i'd be stuck listening to the same albums over and over like i used to.

Being able to choose a weekly playlist which gives about 30 new songs every week is incredible. I can then choose to buy the albums of anything i really like that to get the full benefit on my hifi.

That sounds like you’re making it even more expensive than it already is!

 

[Burnsy2023]

The day to day advantage is that when you stop paying you get to keep what you have bought. It means you aren’t trapped paying a subscription for the rest of your life.

It's the difference between seeing music as an asset or a service. You clearly, see it as an asset. I see it as a service that gives me new music when released and that I can integrate and listen to it in multiple ways, such as the integration with Amazon Echo. With a service mentality, I see the value not just in the content I have access to now, but also in the new ways I'll consume it in the future that won't cost me anything.

 

[mrochester]

It's the difference between seeing music as an asset or a service. You clearly, see it as an asset. I see it as a service that gives me new music when released and that I can integrate and listen to it in multiple ways, such as the integration with Amazon Echo. With a service mentality, I see the value not just in the content I have access to now, but also in the new ways I'll consume it in the future that won't cost me anything.

Yes I definitely see music as an asset. Turning it into a service is just a way for additional money to be extracted out of people (like renting a phone or car and never actually owning it).

 

[Burnsy2023]

Turning it into a service is just a way for additional money to be extracted out of people (like renting a phone or car and never actually owning it).

That's where we disagree, I listen to a broader range of music, on many more devices, more of the time because of the ease of use of the service. The service increases my consumption and enjoyment of music in a way that still having physical media, or even digital rips wouldn't allow.