Peter Lanky wrote: ↑2021-10-20 19:35
I've only just started reading this topic and had a very quick glance through the posts. 'Streaming is the future' is a statement made. It may well appeal for those starting their music collection or only have a few hard copies of albums, but for somebody who has been collecting music for 50 years, I already have most of the music I like.
If I am looking for new music, it is exclusively something well away from the mainstream, and I find a significant amount is not on any streaming services, so my value for money would be poor. I can't think of any mainstream music (likely to be heard on the radio) in the past 30 years.
Even then, assuming that a service never ended, 50 years worth with Qobuz would cost £7,800 and with Tidal £12,000. Then if you wanted it in your car you would no doubt have to pay for an additional wifi service, and the same with remote locations or abroad when you want to listen on your phone/tablet. Also, when there's no turning back, there will likely be other 'essential' costs creeping in. It just doesn't seem a good prospect as far as I can see.
Streaming is superior for finding non-mainstream music since it has more music than any record store on earth.
The biggest issue I've had with the streaming services is that they have been sounding too bad to give new music a fair chance. I still used it since many years to find new artists and albums and once I heard something I liked, I bought it on FLAC or CD/Vinyl.
Now, with Källa, it is very different. I now listen to music I have previously dismissed since the playback at the time was not good enough to do it justice. When I had my DS/NAS-solution, I listened to 80% favourite albums and 20% new music. I have noticed that now with Källa and streaming services, this figure has flipped the other way. Almost everything I listen to is new stuff that I would have never discovered without streaming services and this level of musicality.
So even though I have 2000+ vinyl records in the basement, Källa+Spotify has truly changed the way I listen to music and how frequently I discover new music. Well worth the fees for me. I would gladly pay the double or more for the enjoyment I get from this.
Also, the interface of Spotify makes it very easy to search for artists, albums and sometimes I even use their "recommendation stream" that is built once per week individually for me based on my listening history. I still prefer searching on my own, but the recommendations have been very enjoyable when I just want to listen and don't have time/energy to do the research myself.
I know that needs are different. As a non-mainstream listener, I just wanted to give my five cents because I really disagree with your conclusions.
