Online music expands

For many students, their music library is not stacked on a shelf, but consists of all the songs available on the Internet. 

Online music providers like Spotify, are growing in popularity. Aziza Johnson, a company spokeswoman for the Swedish music streaming service said membership increased from 10 million to 15 million active users worldwide in six months. 

Johnson stated in an email message that the company has three options for users. With “Spotify Free,” there is a three-minute commercial every hour. “Spotify Unlimited,” offers uninterrupted services for $4.99 a month. 

“Spotify Premium” allows consumers to have constant access to all the music, online or offline, on any electronic device. This service also offers enhanced sound quality, access to exclusive content, competitions and special offers for $9.99 a month, she said.

Digital music providers allow users to access new music, share songs and listen on multiple devices without downloading any files. While some services start out free, there are also paid subscription options. 

Freshman Stephanie Wynne said that she enjoys online music providers because she can share her music, for instance on Facebook, with her friends and discover new music that way. 

“Certain people have unique taste and want people to be exposed to what they like as popular songs are already on the radio,” Wynne said. 

Freshman Emily Palone said she often uses iTunes, Spotify and YouTube and finds their services very convenient. She said she uses YouTube the most because it is free and helps her find new genres and artists.

 “With online music providers I can listen to all types of music, and they often give you suggestions to listen to different types,” Palone said. 

Johnson said when people download music illegally their devices can contract a virus. She said streaming music from these websites keeps devices safe.

“Because the music plays live, there’s no need to wait for downloads and no big dent is made in your hard drive,” she said.

Junior Julia Mann said she prefers not to download her music illegally as it can harm her computer but prefers to use online music providers such as iTunes and Pandora.

“I don’t download music illegally that often, because sometimes you can get viruses so that’s why I don’t do it that much,” Mann said. “I don’t want to have problems when there are a bunch of other services that are free and safe.” 

Junior John Roseberger said he prefers to use internet music databases, but he said he is not completely satisfied with the experience they provide. 

“They are really easy to access, but there are a lot of advertisements and you cannot skip them, especially Pandora,” Roseberger said. 

Senior Vince Davis said he uses iTunes because he likes the convenience of downloading songs quickly, and he said he does not mind the cost.