The Truth About Music Streaming

[Rottmannash]

It must have I2S input to properly clean all bits.

 

[Yuhasz01]

If you are someone that listens to the same 100 classic rock albums since you were 16 years old and you are over 45 now, streaming will not be for you.

If you can spare a measly 10 bucks a month and want instant access to a huge library of all types of stuff, numbering in the tens of thousands, than streaming might just be for you!

Fine service if you want some social media corporation algorithm to determine what is available to you and in substandard sonic quality.
Hope services don’t go way of Napster or recently Twitter.

 

[beagleman]

Fine service if you want some social media corporation algorithm to determine what is available to you and in substandard sonic quality.
Hope services don’t go way of Napster or recently Twitter.

That is not how Spotify works. You simply search by artist and it brings up ALL their albums and you can play the entire album, or pick and choose songs, just like playing a CD.

I am quite particular about sound quality and substandard is a word, that never crossed my mind.
In fact, even though it is not the obviously best technical standard in bitrate, it always sounds QUITE listenable and not lacking in any obvious way to me.

Internet connection speed and a few other things may vary the quality, but any even mildly decent connection gives at least IMHO sound that is hard to distinguish from CD. They use algorithms that give fairly decent sound, that is NOT like bad quality MP3 at all.

I listen to a lot of classical, and the sound quality has never been a minus for me.

 

[Ra1zel]

but I don't see "not having anything" as being a problem, since I'm happy to carry on paying for the streaming services.

You'll Own Nothing and You'll Be Happy. The prophecy was true




Just joking of course

 

[dBiz]

This may have been posted elsewhere on ASR.

Animated Chart of the Day: Recorded Music Sales by Format Share, 1973 to 2022

[""]

www.aei.org

Amir told us back in 2015. Specifically under the "Mind Your Business" section.

High Resolution Audio: Does It Matter?

High Resolution Audio: Does It Matter? By Amir Majidimehr [Note: This article was published in the January 2015 issue of Widescreen Review Magazine. This is a slightly revised edition.] Yes! Thought I give you the short answer first in case you are impatient like me. If you have read my...

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Jim Shaw]

...But if one might say "I'd rather not be limited to a few hundred albums I own - I want access to hundreds of thousands of albums via streaming"...at what point is this overkill?

It seems to me the basic pluses for owning some manageable sized collection of music is that, while not as varied as streaming, it's possible to
have a more intimate familiarity with the artists you enjoy.
...Just musing...

I too have several hundred vinyl albums collected over decades and almost as many CDs. I was to start streaming with Qobuz, but they screwed up my billing so much that I moved to Amazon -- several years ago. At least, Amazon gets the billing right.

In my case, here's what has happened: the cleaning lady dutifully dusts the vinyl and CDs. Also the CD deck and the beloved turntable. I just don't turn to them anymore -- somewhat at first, then pretty completely. I do have some acetates that I cut personally, so I keep the turntable operational. I have not transferred any of the vinyl to digital for reasons of non-ambition. No regrets.

But AMHD streaming has, in my case, entirely replaced all else. Most anything I want to hear is available, and there's no wear and tear, no ticks and pops, and no uber-careful handling necessary. When a reviewer or music critic mentions some musical recording, I don't have to decide whether to buy it -- I go to AMHD, and there it is (99% of the time). A recent example (this morning, in fact) is a mention on YouTube of Rimsky-Korsakov's Antar symphony. Hmmm... I can sing much of his Sheherazade, but Antar?? Let's find it. Sure enough, there are several good recordings of it on AMHD. I picked one by Ansermet and The Swiss Romande. Damn! The critic was right. Why haven't I heard this beautiful music before? [I cannot say.]

I have adopted the WiiM Mini (2 of them so far) so I can control selection from my phone while sitting... wherever I'm sitting. And I use the sleep timer to sing me to sleep at night (a fine way to sweep away sleep-preventing thoughts).

So that's my use case. It doesn't have to be anyone else's. Just know that I'm much more into the music than the playback gear. In hifi gear,

 

[PO3c]

It seems to me the basic pluses for owning some manageable sized collection of music is that, while not as varied as streaming, it's possible to
have a more intimate familiarity with the artists you enjoy.

This!

I now only buy vinyl and CD albums that I want this intimacy with. Especially vinyl haven me sit down, pause and actually listen to the music. Streaming from Qobus/Spottify and local CD rip have a tendency to be 'always on', often in the background.

In the past the collection had items added from curiosity of new artist or albums. Streaming help me to be more selective and often give great sugestion to artists I would not else be able to learn about.

Buying music on a physical media not only feed the hoarders like me. But it also put actual money in the artist pocket compared to streaming an album 100 times.

 

[Peterinvan]

Streaming is like rent: if you pay for a limited amount of time (or for a specific purpose) then it's great, do you job and that's it! But if you pay for years and years, it's better to buy your favorite tracks and go with a free/ad sponsored account. Time is of the essence - you may end up in that situation when after many years of paying for streaming, the moment you stop, you don't have anything...

Back up your playlists using Roon.

I got the Black Friday deal for $2, and the first thing I did was export all my Tidal playlists, curated over many years, to a Soundiz CSV format.

We have moved many times, even on to a 37’ sailboat at one time. Each time we get rid of “stuff””
I don’t have a need for collecting stuff (other than headphones LOL).

 

[MattHooper]

This!

I now only buy vinyl and CD albums that I want this intimacy with. Especially vinyl haven me sit down, pause and actually listen to the music. Streaming from Qobus/Spottify and local CD rip have a tendency to be 'always on', often in the background.

In the past the collection had items added from curiosity of new artist or albums. Streaming help me to be more selective and often give great sugestion to artists I would not else be able to learn about.

Buying music on a physical media not only feed the hoarders like me. But it also put actual money in the artist pocket compared to streaming an album 100 times.

I'm also less inclined to have music just streaming in the background these days. The first thing is that if I actually like what's playing I find it distracting to whatever else I'm doing. I just want to concentrate on the music. The other is that I find some music fatigue sets in. If I've been streaming music in the background for hours I don't have that "I want to listen specifically to music" urge and I'm less inclined to sit down in front of my system and enjoy music.
I generally save music for when I can give it my attention.

 

[Yasuo]

Well that's what I meant - overdoing something makes it less exciting. And I must add that it shows less respect. That's why I don't stream music in background, because I do want to enjoy it, not just to hear it but rather listen to it (a song has an entire story behind - how it's made, the melody, mastering, sounds, voice, emotion and so on...)

 

[jsrtheta]

I'm also less inclined to have music just streaming in the background these days. The first thing is that if I actu ally like what's playing I find it distracting to whatever else I'm doing. I just want to concentrate on the music. The other is that I find some music fatigue sets in. If I've been streaming music in the background for hours I don't have that "I want to listen specifically to music" urge and I'm less inclined to sit down in front of my system and enjoy music.
I generally save music for when I can give it my attention.

I agree. People talk a lot about the rituals of vinyl (selecting the album, carefully removing it from its cover, etc.) as an explanation for the revival of the medium. I've snarked about this too, but CD is also a ritual, and I think that's something of what you're getting at. It takes an effort and makes you concentrate. And that, I think, increases your satisfaction with the experience.

If I listen to internet music, or a good radio station, my concentration will eventually wander off elsewhere. If I take the time to look, consider, and read the CD case, I'm investing in the experience. And when I listen, that's all I'm doing.

Anyway, my two cents.

 

[bquimby]

You'll Own Nothing and You'll Be Happy. The prophecy was true




Just joking of course

Well, we come into this world with nothing, and we leave the same way . And I quite like listening to music I make myself, so, worst case, I'd still have music to listen to .

 

[ViperDom]

I agree. People talk a lot about the rituals of vinyl (selecting the album, carefully removing it from its cover, etc.) as an explanation for the revival of the medium. I've snarked about this too, but CD is also a ritual, and I think that's something of what you're getting at. It takes an effort and makes you concentrate. And that, I think, increases your satisfaction with the experience.

If I listen to internet music, or a good radio station, my concentration will eventually wander off elsewhere. If I take the time to look, consider, and read the CD case, I'm investing in the experience. And when I listen, that's all I'm doing.

Anyway, my two cents.

I get what your saying, but the ritual can exist regardless of the medium.

As a streamer, here is my ritual:
Open the door to listening room.
Close the door being greeted with the silence of a properly treated room.
Turn on computer, amp, sub's, minidsp.
Sit down and double check minidsp settings while loading streaming service.
Select Album.
Adjust laptop display brightness to minimum.
Hit play.

At any point if i want to click on an Album or Track's "Credits/Info" its all there including: Producer, Composer, Lyricist, Associated Performer, Vocals, Background Vocal, Instrumental Artists, Mixing Engineer, Recording Engineer, Assistant Engineer, Ect...
TIDAL takes this a step further allowing you to click on Any of these individual's to then browse other tracks/albums they are associated with. I no longer miss CD booklets after switching from Amazon to TIDAL last year.

 

[Hipster Doofus]

Same here...
I don't remember, how much I was spending on CD.. I got to close to 3000 CD.. I ripped these to a NAS; this was my most favorite source of music. This NAS was backed-up by another in my office and, yet another NAS one at home and .. Streaming came...
Then I realized that I could not reliably tell the difference between music in 250 Kb/s mp3, even less VBR 250 AAC or ogg-vorbis and started listening through Spotify.. Game changer , more music, more convenience then, I discovered Tidal in lossless , then Apple Music and my collection is gathering digital dusk. It is on a 2 HDD...
Paying about $20/month is IMO, worth it fore the virtually infinite libraries of music at my disposal via Apple and Spotify. I sometimes, am concerned about the streaming companies raising their prices... I find myself inching closer to $75.oo/month for movies subscription with Netflix, Disney, Amazon,etc.
Still, music streaming has been a game-changer and a source of enjoyment for me.

Peace.

I agree , why buy 12 songs you may not even like when you can own(use) 90 million. And I am 68 years old, there is also all the time wasted it take the CD player to change tracks Or CDs. If I want background music I can play the radio. I get all the new albums every week and can explore new similar music and discover even more good stuff. This is not to take away the joy folks get from having a collection of records or teaspoons, collecting is its own fun. After all we are hunter gatherers.

happy holidays and I hope there are many CDs or records under your trees. As I stream in front of my virtual fireplace.

 

[sq225917]

I buy hard copy albums because I want my artists to be able to continue making music as a living. Most of them are modestly famous, if that andvthry ain't paid from streaming.

 

[Palladium]

I agree , why buy 12 songs you may not even like when you can own(use) 90 million. And I am 68 years old, there is also all the time wasted it take the CD player to change tracks Or CDs. If I want background music I can play the radio. I get all the new albums every week and can explore new similar music and discover even more good stuff. This is not to take away the joy folks get from having a collection of records or teaspoons, collecting is its own fun. After all we are hunter gatherers.

happy holidays and I hope there are many CDs or records under your trees. As I stream in front of my virtual fireplace.

I dunno about the rest, but the last thing I want is piles of physical media that I will almost never touch when I have already enough clutter in the house.

 

[Jim Tonic]

you can sell CDs (=music you own physically), which you can't with digital bought music or streamed music. So music on physical media has a value...
That's why I buy second-hand CDs (even if I know that in future I cannot buy CDs anymore).

 

[Rosenbloom]

I used to buy and keep CDs, up to a point of having around 2000 CDs on my shelves. Every time when I moved house, the burden of finding storage space for those CDs was not enjoyable. I just hoped one day I could get rid of those physical CDs and could still enjoy high quality music whenever I wanted. Ten years ago, I made up my mind and ripped all my CDs into Applelossless files, and then sold 97% of my CDs (I now only keep some 40 CDs.) I must say it was a very liberating experience!

And now, I am further liberated by the online streaming and Airplay. I stream BBC3 every morning or play the local files in my iPad Pro via Airplay. For me, the physical medium of music is no longer attractive. Cheers

 

[Frank2]

Unfortunately, network terminology has opened up another avenue for makers of bogus products to dazzle suggestible punters with. They can now spout their drivel, peppering it with acronyms and technical terminology to sound as plausible as ever to the uneducated.

And I'm sure many reviewers will actually hear a difference. It's the power of "audio-placebo" (is there a better term for this?).

I experienced it myself when I was listening to a track and the bass was a little off. After a small correction of my subwoofer level it sounded better and I was satisfied again. I swear I heard a clear difference, no doubt in my mind. But to my own astonishment I later discovered I forgot to turn on the subwoofer amplifier altogether. The correction I made had no effect whatsoever, it was all in my brain. Very weird experience which shows how powerfull the "audio-placebo" effect can be...

 

[rwortman]

I used to buy and keep CDs, up to a point of having around 2000 CDs on my shelves. Every time when I moved house, the burden of finding storage space for those CDs was not enjoyable. I just hoped one day I could get rid of those physical CDs and could still enjoy high quality music whenever I wanted. Ten years ago, I made up my mind and ripped all my CDs into Applelossless files, and then sold 97% of my CDs (I now only keep some 40 CDs.) I must say it was a very liberating experience!

And now, I am further liberated by the online streaming and Airplay. I stream BBC3 every morning or play the local files in my iPad Pro via Airplay. For me, the physical medium of music is no longer attractive. Cheers

The CD is the license to own the ripped music. Ripping and then selling is a crime. Why I have a music server and a closet shelf full of CD’s