Warming up to Spotify

Our parents’ generation grew up collecting records. Our generation grew up compiling digital music libraries.

Though no one could physically touch most of our music libraries the way someone could a box of records, we still had a sense of ownership over our music. Your music library was distinct yours.

With this ingrained desire to build, refine, organize and grow our music collections, many of us did so to extreme ends. But then things started to change.

Internet access started to become readily available wherever you went. Services like YouTube and Pandora became popular. The 3G/4G internet speeds on mobile phones made it possible to stream almost anything — especially music.

Slowly, digital music libraries became less important. There was no point putting in all the work organizing and growing a music library when there really was no longer a need to do so.

Others, like myself, were not instantly won over to this music-streaming model. I scoffed at those who took the easy way out and didn’t spend time building their libraries. I would laugh because they didn’t really “own” that music. If their internet connection went out, they wouldn’t have access to anything.

Eventually though, there was something that officially won me over to the world of streaming music: Spotify.

I just couldn’t compete any longer. Internet access is available almost everywhere I go, which means Spotify is available, too. Spotify is the perfect music library. It has everything you want. It’s all organized, album art is included and the streaming quality is respectable.

True, I don’t actually own the music. But with the internet available almost everywhere now, ownership doesn’t seem to be as important as it once was. And for the monthly price of a Saturday night Jimmy John’s delivery, I could have full Spotify access with no ads on my phone.

You bet I bought it.

I finally subscribed to Spotify, and I’m glad I did. I’m a much happier person having tucked away that old-music library ego.

All the music I want to listen to is organized into playlists, labeled properly, ready to be streamed at 320 kbps and still growing. For that, Spotify, I thank you.

­— lliskey@indiana.edu
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