Amazon just announced that they now have an online library of over 100 million songs! In addition, over seven million artists are included. In my younger days, you could only listen to a song at a record store or on the radio for free - all others required a record purchase.
This increase in the library has pushed Amazon to create different tiers to listen. The Prime level, free with the Amazon Prime subscription, will insert other artists when playing, for instance, an ‘Elvis’ stream. Some have compared it to a radio station where requests can be made, but the next song may be unwanted. Occasionally it will offer up an ad for its ‘unlimited’ streaming service ($8.99/month), which includes the entire library. This change has frustrated many listeners, and some are migrating to different services. The ‘unlimited’ service also offers songs in HD and a new offering called ‘spatial audio.’ Amazon currently has 17% of the market.
Full disclosure - I use Amazon Unlimited - I build custom playlists for different categories of music I enjoy and can play ‘my’ music at home or in the truck. I use an Amazon Echo Studio speaker ($199, picture below), which is impressive. It still functions as a standard echo device, so I can request Alexa to control my lights or air conditioning as needed. The speaker has five speakers in the enclosure; you can pair two for stereo if desired.
What a day we live in - the younger generation has no idea how blessed we are. Netflix seems dull, with only 3600 movies on demand. and…a new song comes out every two miinutes.
Do the artists make money off streaming? I asked a singer at a recent concert; he said they do but suggested they make much more if I would buy a CD or USB stick at his booth. The streaming services pay $.004 per stream - it would take 249 plays to earn $1. Remember that the artist receives less than half of this; the record label gets the rest.
enjoy the music…and the data…
Wall Street Journal, 01192023, Page A1, Sebastion Herrera
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100 Million Songs in your Home...
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Does anyone still use CDs or radios at home?
Amazon just announced that they now have an online library of over 100 million songs! In addition, over seven million artists are included. In my younger days, you could only listen to a song at a record store or on the radio for free - all others required a record purchase.
This increase in the library has pushed Amazon to create different tiers to listen. The Prime level, free with the Amazon Prime subscription, will insert other artists when playing, for instance, an ‘Elvis’ stream. Some have compared it to a radio station where requests can be made, but the next song may be unwanted. Occasionally it will offer up an ad for its ‘unlimited’ streaming service ($8.99/month), which includes the entire library. This change has frustrated many listeners, and some are migrating to different services. The ‘unlimited’ service also offers songs in HD and a new offering called ‘spatial audio.’ Amazon currently has 17% of the market.
Full disclosure - I use Amazon Unlimited - I build custom playlists for different categories of music I enjoy and can play ‘my’ music at home or in the truck. I use an Amazon Echo Studio speaker ($199, picture below), which is impressive. It still functions as a standard echo device, so I can request Alexa to control my lights or air conditioning as needed. The speaker has five speakers in the enclosure; you can pair two for stereo if desired.
What a day we live in - the younger generation has no idea how blessed we are. Netflix seems dull, with only 3600 movies on demand. and…a new song comes out every two miinutes.
Do the artists make money off streaming? I asked a singer at a recent concert; he said they do but suggested they make much more if I would buy a CD or USB stick at his booth. The streaming services pay $.004 per stream - it would take 249 plays to earn $1. Remember that the artist receives less than half of this; the record label gets the rest.
enjoy the music…and the data…
Wall Street Journal, 01192023, Page A1, Sebastion Herrera
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