So This Streaming Thing Seems to be Working
Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 9:20AM
It looks like the world is slowly--VERY slowly--warming to the idea of streaming music rather than downloading or ripping it.
Canadians are a little bit behind the curve because we haven't had access to the full menu of streaming services. We have Rdio, Slacker, Deezer and a few others but we're still shut out of Spotify, Pandora, MOG and a couple other big ones.
No matter. Our turn will come because the rest of the world is moving in that direction. If you're not into streaming yet, you will be eventually.
There's also some money to be made by labels and, presumably, by artists. All Things Digital reports that 25% of Warner Music Group's digital revenues came from fees/royalties earned through streaming. The actual number--$54 million--is small (it represents oly 8% of Warner's revenues) but given that we're still at the dawn of this new way of accessing music, it's actually pretty good.
Access over possession. It's coming. Might as well get ready for it. Read more here.
Reader Comments (1)
Streaming is indeed the future. I was, WAS, an avid cd and download buyer - a collector. It's been 13 months since I started using streaming services and my digital purchases have shrunk by 80 percent. I have purchased exactly TWO physical cds in that time. I hope that this medium is fully available to my Canadian brethren soon. Technologically, all of the features you would want are there - great sound quality, mobile downloading, sharing etc. And the catalogs are ridiculously deep. I've become fond of telling people, "I will not live long enough to listen to all of the music in my streaming queue. I've done the math and taken my vitals". If you love music, this will be your future.