1. Music availability.
2. Music listeners across the world have trouble accessing songs that are not offered by their music streaming service because artists have agreements that makes their music unavailable to some services.
3.
· Who: I believe avid music listeners have the need to access a wide variety of music and casual listeners are ok with what is offered.
· What: Every music streaming service is lacking the availability to songs that they do not offer.
· Why: Artists have agreements with record labels that prohibit them from releasing their music on all music platforms.
4. Interviews:
Junior College student
- Are you a member of a music streaming service?
Yes
- Which service?
Apple music
- Do you feel that it is lacking variety?
No, apple music has tons of music
- Has there ever been a song you couldn’t find?
Yes, but not often
Graduate Student
- Are you a member of a music streaming service?
Yes
- Which service?
Spotify
- Do you feel that it is lacking variety?
Yes, there are sometimes songs that my friends show me and when I look them up they are not offered.
- What do you do when there is a song you can’t find?
Search it on my SoundCloud account.
- Does that cost your extra money?
I have the free subscription, so I can access the song but have to listen to adds.
Faculty Member
- Are you a member of a music streaming service?
Yes
- Which service?
Apple music
- Do you feel that it is lacking variety?
No, I love apple music
- Has there ever been a song you couldn’t find?
Not really, apple music provides me with all the music I enjoy
Freshman College student
- Are you a member of a music streaming service?
Yes
- Which service?
Soundcloud
- Do you feel that it is lacking variety?
Soundcloud has all the new music
- Has there ever been a song you couldn’t find?
Yes, but my favorite artists put their music on SoundCloud.
- Do you feel like you are missing out on songs they don’t offer?
I probably enjoy songs on other services but SoundCloud has everything I need.
Senior College Student
- Are you a member of a music streaming service?
Yes
- Which service?
Spotify
- Do you feel that it is lacking variety?
Yes, Spotify does not offer all the songs that my favorite artist release.
- What do you do when you face that problem?
I use my SoundCloud account for lots of songs that are not very popular.
- Are you satisfied with that solution?
It is not too bad, I just don’t like how the music is stored on Soundcloud and do not pay for the full subscription, so I listen to adds.
5. I gained valuable information from my interviews. I learned that there are people that are satisfied with their music streaming service and do not feel like it is lacking variety. I also realized that the situation varies between age groups. I believe that there are trends that people in different age groups use different streaming services. That tendency correlates to how content they are with their service. Aside from the people that are pleased with their service, there are lots of people who feel like they do not have direct access to enough songs.
Hey Bram,
ReplyDeleteIt is very true that this issue will not apply to the majority of people because most artists will be covered on either service (Apple/Spotify). Such is the case for Kanye West who completely disregarded both services for Life of Pablo because he knows his fans will somehow find a way to listen to his music. Could there be a different way for you to blend the data of both services through a third party source (as opposed to Soundcloud)?
Hi, there! The opportunity you discovered is very interesting because I have come across this very issue recently. I’ve been wanting to listen to Eminem’s new album, but I only use free music streaming services, like iHeartRadio and YouTube, and I was only able to find a couple songs so far. I found your interviews insightful as it shows the variety of services people have chosen to use to listen to their music, even though each service leaves out many artists.
ReplyDeleteHi Bram,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the opportunity you have found in the availability of certain artists on certain platforms, this is a problem that I have run into as well on a few occasions. One thing I think you could expand with this opportunity is maybe to look not just at availability, but why many of these more obscure artists which people have trouble finding are not on these services. The answer is usually that it is not worth the money they would lose to go through the process of putting their music on there for people to listen to for practically free when they'll only be making a couple cents for every listen. Some new service with a focus on more indie music, and with a system in place to pay artists a fair amount for their work, seems like this could possibly solve two problems in one fell swoop.