Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I've tried out all the big ones, apple music, spotify, amazon unlimited ... and I don't know if I'm just not using them right or what, but they just don't resonate with me.

It used to be when I bought an album, it was an investment, so even if I didn't like it on first listen, I'd force myself to listen a few more times, because hey, I spent $10-15 on it, so I might as well try to get my money's worth.

Now, when I listen to a new band on spotify, if the first track doesn't catch me within a minute or 2, I just quit and move on to something else. And there's just SO much music, it's kind of overwhelming.

When I just had my own collection, it's much easier to pick something to listen to. When you have EVERYTHING available, it's hard for me to focus on ANYTHING.

Do you guys like these services? How do you use them?

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Some info here:

https://forum.dvdtalk.com/music-talk...se-prefer.html

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I started using Spotify around a year ago. Shocked by the thorough catalog. I rarely look up something that's not on there. I don't see a reason to buy CD's ever again.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Yup. Apple Music sub for me and my wife. Can't really beat it for the price. I think I pay $14 for the family level sub. We both listen to music all the time at work.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Spotify faithful since 2012. I still buy physical media but I love my streaming and curated/collaborative playlists to death.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I used Spotify and buy vinyl records like a madman

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I use Spotify and supplement it with the occasional record or CD if it's a band I really like or want to support.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

But how do you actually use it? When I start up spotify, it's like looking into an infinite abyss of music, and is completely overwhelming.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Start browsing, follow artists you like, follow playlists that interest you and it will begin to tailor to music that appeals to you.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I subscribe to Amazon Prime and you get to create playlists from available albums, so I just sought out my favorite composers (Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, Miklos Rosza, Joe Hisaishi, etc.) and created playlists based on them. Of course, they don't have any Japanese pop music available so I have to buy new CDs from Japan and transfer them to iTunes and my iPod to listen to those.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I'll use youtube to check stuff out. I don't subscribe to Spotify or anything like that.

But I mostly listen to my LPs, CDs, and MP3s.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

No. I do have access to Amazon streaming because of Prime, but I rarely use it. I prefer to buy albums. :shrug:

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I use and love the hell out of Spotify, totally worth the money (and we have the family plan so the whole family gets good use out of it). I so wish there was something like this when I was a teenager, instead I had to spend tons of money on albums, cassettes and CDs. I still buy vinyl and CD sometimes though.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

This summer I simultaneously got 3 months of Spotify for 99 cents and 3 months of Amazon Unlimited for 99 cents. Tried both and while Spotify is more hip, I found Amazon better for me. We've stuck with it as an added monthly bill and we like it. I can listen to anything and anytime. The future is here! :)

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I started with Spotify and eventually switched to Amazon as part of a promotion a while back. I like them both equally and use Amazon on pretty much a daily basis.

The feature I probably use the most is 'what other customers listen to' when I'm listening to an album. I've discovered quite a bit of good music that was new to me as part of that feature.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

We have the Apple family subscription. I was going to switch to Spotify (mainly so i could use it with the Amazon Echo) but i found i couldnt do the "apple match" thing where i can access songs not in the catalog remotely. I still wish i could have both but i cant justify the extra monthly fee just so i can occasionally play songs through the Echo.
If anyone has a Spotify family account and are not using all the spots, let me know and maybe we can work something out. :)

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Maybe it's just me but I'm fairly aware of what I want to listen to before I get that far. Sometimes I just go to a song or artist I want and, if I'm not doing the album or artist deep dive thing, I'll just follow along to where the music inspires me. It's honestly never that difficult :shrug:

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Don't subscribe to any music services, rarely buy physical CDs/LPs anymore. The "new" music doesn't really appeal to me, haven't heard anything over any radio or other means that sounds interesting enough to want to own. I have my albums and my small collection of CDs, and I have YouTube if I get curious, that's good enough for me.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Get Spotify. I started with Amazon Prime Music. I thought it was neat. But it's sort of like only buying CD's from Columbia House ... the selection is limited. Spotify has almost everything.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Spotify Family plan here. Everyone loves it. I started with my favorite bands, checking some related stuff, and now most of my listening is from the daily mixes playlists. They are really good at that.
Sometimes I check my recommendations playlist too.

I also have iTunes Match, for all my music that's not in any sub. Mostly Pearl Jam bootlegs, official, but some other too.

Finally, I also have Sirius XM sub. Yes, PJ radio too, plus some other channels.

Now, I listen to music every day, but it rarely is an activity that I do exclusively. In the background, driving, running, playing video games, at the office, etc.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Do you remember back when we were teenagers or kids and had the time to do that? To pour over the liner notes, learn the lyrics, just spend a few hours with an album? I can't remember the last time I did that, even with the new stuff I really like.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I listen to the free version of Spotify when I'm browsing the web. I still buy the odd CD, but only those of very select musicians.
As others have said, joeblow, search some musicians you like, add songs of theirs to a "Favourites" playlist (click +New Playlist to add one), and press play. You can either listen on shuffle or alphabetically by artist. I have 2,000 songs on my playlist. I'm sure most people here have many more than that.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I still buy CDs occasionally. My personal library is ~15000 tracks.
I have a year sub to SiriusXM for my car.
My wife uses paid Pandora.
I haven't explored Spotify enough to really understand how to use it.
I did pay Amazon $25 so I could upload all my music for a year.
In the car is when I mostly "actively" listen to music.

And yes, I used to love the days of buying a CD (or cassette) and going home to LISTEN to it. I was in Columbia House in high school and bought the big INXS tape, and got King Diamond's "THEM" for like 2 bucks extra. I listened to that whole thing two or three times while following along with the lyric sheet.

Now even when I buy CDs, I buy them, rip them, put them in my ipod, then eventually listen to them.. Maybe every third disk I'll put in my car CD player and listen to - those are usually CDs I purchase at a concert, so it's already in the car.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I do have a Spotify subscription and the convenience of it is great, but it just isn't the same as owning physical albums.

Of course, I still do buy CDs and vinyl (I know artists don't get much from physical sales, but they get even less from streams), though I've found myself buying a lot less lately.

Music is art. I'm in my 20s and even I miss the days where you could go to the store, buy a CD, come home and just sit and look through the liner notes, lyrics, photos, and just totally immerse yourself in the album as a whole. Of course now people who remember this experience probably don't have time to do so now, but I find it sad that the younger generation won't ever know what it's like to properly take in the experience of listening to an album. It's sad how disposable music has become today.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I have my SiriusXM in my car which I guess is a subscription. I use that now and again on my iPhone. Otherwise I download songs I like from the iTunes Store and occasionally for bands I really like I buy the physical copy (normally it’s the CD but I get the occasional vinyl album or single).

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I subscribed to Amazon Music Unlimited around the holidays to complement a couple Echos I got the wife for Christmas. For context, I have around 2,200 CDs, though I'd dropped to probably picking up 30 - 40 per year recently. Now, I'm probably just about done buying any. I can stream pretty much anything I want and the ability to download tracks to my phone is great. For the past several years, nearly all of my music listening has been in the car, when jogging or when traveling. As goofy at I thought it would be, being able to ask the Echo to play something specific has greatly increased the amount of music I play around the house. After years of resisting it, streaming has finally won me over.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I don't have a subscription to any music streaming service, I just use whatever is offered for free with limitations - and I only listen sometimes through my tablet while in the kitchen, etc. It's basically just background music.

For real/serious music listening I prefer to use my stereo system with my collection of CD/SACDs I've ripped to my HAP-Z1ES.

Streaming has it's purposes, but the sound quality just isn't there if you're the type to sit and listen to music.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I really don't need a subscription service, as my music collection is larger and deeper than most of them.

I'll check out a new album on YouTube before deciding if I want the album on CD.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Spotify for me (though I miss Rdio). I have a Prime sub, I do iTunes Cloud Music, but I was not into Apple Music when I trialed that.

I mainly use Spotify for discovery - recommendations from Spotify (which I find to be pretty good), my connected social groups/friends and my own research. Since most Vinyl comes with a digital copy, I tend to pick up a copy of the record with the digital copy of things I really like. I usually purchase a copy direct from the artist website, at a show, or well... Amazon. It's probably only about 2 dozen new albums a year at max.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Yep. Even better, go with a friend, or group of friends, and listen to that new album.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Really? You have 30 million songs at home? Color me skeptical.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

In the niche genres I favor, the streaming services are seriously lacking in depth beyond the biggest names.

My CD and vinyl collection has been built up since the 1980s. It's very...extensive.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

I have over 400 cds, no real need for the subscription services. I personally find most of my new music from a handful of metal blogs, bangertv on youtube, and most importantly Bandcamp.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

The strange thing is that while Amazon Unlimited has an amazing breadth and depth, there’s still these bizarre blind spots. I’ve got 100’s of CDs that simply aren’t on there. And my collection is less than 500 CDs.

Re: Is everyone using music subscription services these days?
 

Licensing issues and Amazon deciding that some music isn't popular enough to worry about carrying.