Many of us get our entertainment, news, and pay our bills online. So, it’s not a shock that we access our music over the Internet as well. Many individuals subscribe to on-line music-streaming services that are either free or cost money. The benefits are many. People don’t have to copy their music files onto different devices and they can listen to it anywhere they have internet access.
So we thought we would share with you some information about a few of the more common streaming services:
Pandora: Pandora has been around awhile, and it is very popular. It’s clear to see why: it is simple. After navigating to the website, type in the name of a song or artist you enjoy and Pandora will create a radio station based upon that information. It chooses songs by artists with a comparable sound. As you tune in to your station you can select the thumbs up or thumbs down symbol on the songs and Pandora will tailor your station based on this new information. In addition, you can “seed” you station with different artists to further customize it. You can tune in to Pandora without setting up an account but in order to save your stations, you need to create an account.
Grooveshark: This streaming service is much like Pandora, in that it creates a customized “radio” station based upon your musical tastes. You do not have to create an account to enjoy Grooveshark, or to build your own playlists. However, should you wish to save your information, you need to create one. One benefit of Grooveshark is that you are able to listen to whole albums instead of a station you created. One of the most exciting features of Grooveshark is that users can add their own music if the Grooveshark database doesn’t have what they’re looking for.
Rhapsody: Rhapsody’s appeal is based on its huge database of music: more the 14 million songs. Sadly, this service is not free, it is $10 a month for unlimited music.
Spotify: Spotify is one of the most widely known music-streaming services out there. After its release in 2008, it expanded rapidly. Spotify has a simple to use interface. You can enjoy entire albums, decide to create a “radio” station based on your tastes, or create playlists that you can share with other Spotify users. This is attractive to those who enjoy the nostalgia of creating mix tapes. Many people love Spotify’s integration with Facebook. By utilizing the Facebook app, Spotify creates a running list of what you are playing day by day. You can also see what your Facebook friends are listening too, in real-time.
