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Easier Streaming Services Put Dent in Illegal Downloading (bbc.com)
Music piracy is falling out of favour as streaming services become more widespread, new figures show. From a report: One in 10 people in the UK use illegal downloads, down from 18% in 2013, according to YouGov's Music Report. The trend looks set to continue -- with 22% of those who get their music illegitimately saying they do not expect to be doing so in five years. "It is now easier to stream music than to pirate it," said one survey participant. Another respondent said: "Spotify has everything from new releases to old songs, it filled the vacuum, there was no longer a need for using unverified sources."
How many times are you really going to listen to that same song?
Just as I've done all my life: as many times as I freaking want to, without worrying about whether I have a network connection and without getting billed for it each and every time, thanks very much.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
IMO, ownership isn't the answer to everything. When I was a kid, I could scrape together the $8 or $9 bucks to buy an album (this was a long time ago, obv.) maybe six times a year. Off to the record store. Hours spent looking at the covers of hundreds of records, hoping to God I could figure out which one was worth my paltry allowance simply by looking at the cover art. Album purchased. Go home, listen to ten songs until the needle wears a hole in the record, or, just as likely, regret that I just bought an album I didn't like very much.
Today, I pay $15 a month (in today's money) for a family Spotify account. Me, my wife, and my two kids probably listen to at least a hundred bucks worth of new albums (in 1984 dollars) each month. I can go back and sample a half dozen albums from an artist I like without having to shell out only to discover that I've wasted my money. I can introduce my kids to entire genres without breaking the bank. My daughter can hear six versions of the piano piece she's studying. That's not mere convenience. It's musical wealth, for cheap.
// This is not a sig.
But it's not all crap. Yes, most the pop music is crap but when was that not the case? There are music gems of all genres for all times; including now.
I found that when I was buying music I was spending more money and listening to less "new" stuff, e.g. music I had not heard before. For example in the last couple weeks I discovered Green Day's When September Ends, came out in 2005 but because I was limiting myself to what I had in my library I didn't fall in love with that song until now. By using a streaming service I'm able to introduce myself to more music without having to buy it, yet I know/assume that the artists that I listen to frequently get paid more then those that I listen to only a couple times.
If you want to buy all your music that's fine. All that really matters to me is that the content creators get paid for what they produce. But there are valid reasons to prefer streaming over purchasing.