I am grateful for the technology of streaming music services. When I was a kid, the way you listened to music was either cassette tapes or the radio. I have fond memories of waiting until your favorite song came on the radio, then throwing a blank cassette into the boom box and trying to record it. To listen to any particular song on demand, you had to own the album, and then do the dance of fast forward / rewind until you found where it started. It was possible to put together a mix tape of your favorites, but that was even more of a commitment. (CDs made things a little easier, but similar story.)
So then, in college, the technology of Napster felt mind blowing. You suddenly had access to the entire universe of music, for free, at your fingertips. We all spent hundreds of hours exploring the possibilities, listening to new and old songs, putting together lists with such ease. Sadly, this was illegal pirating that was ripping off the artists and the whole music industry, so it was there for a blip of time and then gone.
But the idea was planted, and companies took off. So now it's possible, legally, for a very affordable price, with a much better user interface, to once again stream most music, put together playlists, find songs in an instant, and even get suggestions for similar music. I listen to Spotify all the time - in the car, working out, doing dishes. I can pull up Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" for the kids' music lessons, or classic favorites for my Sunday school kids, or Chris Stapleton to sing with my dad. I can check out new songs friends recommend in an instant. I'm so grateful for you, streaming music services.
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