Ins and Outs - 2018 Edition

You should read up here:

https://www.consumerreports.org/audio-video/best-music-streaming-service-for-you/

Most will give you a three month free or reduced price trial until you find the right solution for you.  I'm a Google Play Music guy, but I suspect you'll be Apple Music or Spotify. 

As for the holdouts to streaming, those are overcome by the services that allow you to upload your own collection.  That's why I chose Google originally - 50,000 of my own songs to compliment their library, but most have adopted this strategy since.

The bigger problem for streaming has become "exclusives" - only being able to stream certain new albums from one provider.  Those are usually only for a couple weeks and usually only the most popular pop music, so it shouldn't impact you as much as it does me.

As usual, happy to answer any questions, and I'm sure there's a paid Spotify user on here to help with that service.  I do sometimes regret not going with Spotify to share with my other music nerds, but I sunk my second subscription cost into Tidal to test the future of high quality streaming and SONOS.  I may change that…

I've used pretty much all of them at this point and am currently back with Spotify.  I tried Deezer recently and considered going back to Tidal again, but alas neither have much of a K-Pop catalog. Google Play was fine, but in the end Spotify has the best coverage of K-pop with playlists and easier to find new releases.  Apple Music is a distant memory at this point.

the only plus Apple Music had was it's integration into iTunes, but since I lost my iPod I rarely use it.  and I sideload all my eMusic, etc mp3s to my phone.  although the eMusic app is vastly improved these days

I also went with Spotify and highly recommend it, although I still collect physical media much to Vansmack's chagrin.

Any,thing Julian says . . . I be,lieve..

I am also a dedicated Spotify user.

I started with Pandora maybe in 2009 and still have a premium account but I use it infrequently. Spotify I've had for maybe 4 years; I use regularly and have probably downloaded dozens of albums and playlists. I was super excited to find one of my favorite clubbing songs from the early 90's on Spotify.

I've been very happy with spottily and we have the family plan
I couldn't take the ads and was happy to pay, I'd like to think that gets the artists a little more money (probably not, but let me lie to myself)

I rarely not been able to find what I'm looking for.
I love the ability to share mixes and the catalog is so much deeper than my personal collection
Half the time I could never find the CD I was looking for, so that's been nice to not have to deal with that

I can use it in my car and via our smartTV
I love it for 'craming' for shows I'm going to as well.  I go to setlist.fm and can get most of what that artist is playing on that tour a
yes that takes some of the spontaneity out of it, but I'll take that over being at a show where the artist does some 'deep cuts' that were b-sides of the Australian release that I would have never heard before.  Or covers of obscure bands

How are people still just discovering or just realizing that Spotify is the best and really only streaming service that makes any sense? Welcome to 2011 fam.

In: Anthem
Out: 9:30 Club

ggw wrote:
In: Anthem
Out: 9:30 Club

Blasphemer!

In: An uncertain future with regards to when the show is gonna start, and if I need to leave work early or if I'll have time for dinner, or when the show ends and if metro will still be open and how much I have to pay the babysitter.

Out: Set times

I, would say oh that's too bad sorry to hear about that, but I won't, because there's bigger things in life to worry about. Get the f*** over it. Wahhhh, my entiltled concert experience is being ruined by Seth.

walkonbyeeeeeeeee wrote:
I, would say oh that's too bad sorry to hear about that, but I won't, because there's bigger things in life to worry about. Get the f*** over it. Wahhhh, my entiltled concert experience is being ruined by Seth.

That was for Julian's benefit…i thought you were one of his followers.

Out: “E pluribus unum.”
In: “Make America Great Again.”

https://t.co/MhgMYQnM4D

Yada wrote:
How are people still just discovering or just realizing that Spotify is the best and really only streaming service that makes any sense? Welcome to 2011 fam.

Seriously?  I can upload songs to Spotify servers and listen to them on any of my devices, any where I want?  Fam?

Pretty sure you have to be on the same WiFi network to listen to your own collection.  How 2011 of them. 

vansmack wrote:

Yada wrote:
How are people still just discovering or just realizing that Spotify is the best and really only streaming service that makes any sense? Welcome to 2011 fam.

Seriously?  I can upload songs to Spotify servers and listen to them on any of my devices, any where I want?  Fam?

Pretty sure you have to be on the same WiFi network to listen to your own collection.  How 2011 of them.

You sound pretty mad, fam. Merry Xmas!

excontradiction wrote:

walkonbyeeeeeeeee wrote:
I, would say oh that's too bad sorry to hear about that, but I won't, because there's bigger things in life to worry about. Get the f*** over it. Wahhhh, my entiltled concert experience is being ruined by Seth.

That was for Julian's benefit…i thought you were one of his followers.

I, will only follow Julian, into the bedroom.

Yada wrote:
You sound pretty mad, fam. Merry Xmas!

I'll take that as a no, and you answered your own question as to why some people discovered Spotify was great in the early teens and other options have surpassed and met other folks needs.

when, Russian submarines cut those undersea cables . . . .

In: Apple
Out: Samsung