A Musical World Widely Available
For a few months I have been subscribing to Spotify, but a kind of crisis reared its head a couple of months ago when I learned my favourite CD shop was closing. I loved to graze the aisles for interesting music I wanted to try out. It was always a gamble. I've bought a few albums that I didn't like much. I learned something even there . . . Leaving them on my shelf and returning to them sometimes years later, I found my ears and brain and heart were ready for something that hadn't tasted so good earlier.
The streaming experience is amazing in many ways. Large services like Spotify offer a huge catalogue. I also know many people who listen to their music by taking it from YouTube. I added a physical device to my stereo system in July called a streamer. It is a device that can receive digital information over a network, hard-wired or wireless (WiFi & Bluetooth). Hooked up to my digital-analogue converter Spotify sounds quite good. I also added a subscription to a service called Tidal which offers more digitally dense streams and has a wider classical and jazz catalogue in addition to more popular genres. Their best quality files sound very nearly as good as my CD player hooked up to my quite new digital analogue converter.
Eureka! I can listen to all kinds of music without the costs of potentially buying a recording that turns out to be disappointing. Convenience for sure.
When I used to go into physical stores (imagine that!), I was certainly being marketed to, but I had a whole store to browse through. With my computer or my phone there is a limited amount I can see.
Our new "friend", AI, is at least half-deciding for me. I have been trying to make lists of artists I have always wanted to listen to and searching for them. And voila! Most of them are in either or both of these services. I appreciate AI's "suggestions" and do click on them, but I am wondering if someone has paid for that to happen and whether that makes the music better?
My guess is that many of us are drawn to what is shown to us and there are many factors involved in that including whether other people have been interested before us. The old challenge for musicians to become known and appreciated hasn't really gone away. The rewards are great for the most popular artists and there are a great many who are somewhere below the waves.
If you are interested in seeking out music that is thoughtful, or meditative you may need to search and experiment a little bit. I was asked recently by someone to start sharing some of my own musical suggestions, so I am going to do that. Along with the lists I will provide a little commentary.
Religious music, to a great degree, is the origin of most musical traditions. Music sung and performed to accompany rituals and important events have been characteristic of most cultures. In the Christian tradition there is a rich field of music. Perhaps it is time to give a somewhat more orderly account than have been in these pages to date.
The streaming experience is amazing in many ways. Large services like Spotify offer a huge catalogue. I also know many people who listen to their music by taking it from YouTube. I added a physical device to my stereo system in July called a streamer. It is a device that can receive digital information over a network, hard-wired or wireless (WiFi & Bluetooth). Hooked up to my digital-analogue converter Spotify sounds quite good. I also added a subscription to a service called Tidal which offers more digitally dense streams and has a wider classical and jazz catalogue in addition to more popular genres. Their best quality files sound very nearly as good as my CD player hooked up to my quite new digital analogue converter.
Eureka! I can listen to all kinds of music without the costs of potentially buying a recording that turns out to be disappointing. Convenience for sure.
When I used to go into physical stores (imagine that!), I was certainly being marketed to, but I had a whole store to browse through. With my computer or my phone there is a limited amount I can see.
Our new "friend", AI, is at least half-deciding for me. I have been trying to make lists of artists I have always wanted to listen to and searching for them. And voila! Most of them are in either or both of these services. I appreciate AI's "suggestions" and do click on them, but I am wondering if someone has paid for that to happen and whether that makes the music better?
My guess is that many of us are drawn to what is shown to us and there are many factors involved in that including whether other people have been interested before us. The old challenge for musicians to become known and appreciated hasn't really gone away. The rewards are great for the most popular artists and there are a great many who are somewhere below the waves.
Religious music, to a great degree, is the origin of most musical traditions. Music sung and performed to accompany rituals and important events have been characteristic of most cultures. In the Christian tradition there is a rich field of music. Perhaps it is time to give a somewhat more orderly account than have been in these pages to date.
