Spotify

[Mr. Halloween]

Anyone else here have/use Spotify's service on their phone to start a music library that you can listen to whenever you want? Our son got me set up on my phone about 4 years ago, and I've been able to accumulate a large library of the music I listen to the majority of the time, black/death metal music.
I have everything from ABBATH to WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM. I've been retired on permanent disability for over 8 years now(I'm 64) and have to deal with chronic pain and numbness 24/7. I listen to music several hours a day to help deal with my physical issues, so I love what Spotify offers someone like me.

At the end of each year(December 1st really), they send you a message telling you how many minutes of music you've listened to during the year. They also rank the most popular bands, songs, and genres of music in their message. For 2021, I listened to their service for almost 52,000 minutes. In 2022, that number went up to over 55,000 minutes. For 2023, my total listening time will be almost 76,000 minutes of black and or death metal music. Needless to say, this music is very important to me, it helps keep me sane.
My family can't understand how listening to this music can help me, but they're all devout christians, and I'm an Atheist, always have been, always will be. I've been a metal head since the late 70's, I love this music, and I've chosen this lifestyle. I have a massive concert shirt collection that goes back to 1980, when I went to my first show, RUSH at the Forum down in SO. CAL.

I'm writing this to see if this music means as much to anyone else out there like it does for me. My wife, kids, and grandkids only know me as "crazy" dad or grandpa, but that's good enough for me.

 

[Bloopy]

I'm not convinced by streaming. Artists can pull albums off of there at any moment. I insist on having at least a download copy of any music I care about. Quite a bit of what I listen to is downloads from a decade or more ago when streaming wasn't even a thing yet. Very occasionally I use Spotify to check something out, but it's rare.

I use playlists in foobar2000 on my desktop PC, and Spotify will never compete with that. Building and rearranging playlists is so much faster: adding a bunch of albums, shuffling the tracks into a particular order or playing the tracks of an album in reverse order and shit like that is quick and easy. It helps that I don't do much of any listening through my phone or when I'm out, apart from using mp3 CD-Rs in my car - basically 8 hour playlists without the data usage.

I don't think music does anything for my sanity. It's just a pure drug - indulging in a pleasure. When my mind's feeling down it's not interested in processing music. Kinda like how I wouldn't want to indulge in junk food while I have an upset stomach.

 

[Mr. Halloween]

I use my Apple AirPods when I'm at the gym or whenever I want to listen to music when my wife is at home. She's not a fan. When I'm in the office/online, I have a Sony Smart speaker that our son gave me as a gift a few years ago that I use, so I listen to music constantly during the day.

 

[EternalMetal]

I'm not convinced by streaming. Artists can pull albums off of there at any moment. I insist on having at least a download copy of any music I care about. Quite a bit of what I listen to is downloads from a decade or more ago when streaming wasn't even a thing yet. Very occasionally I use Spotify to check something out, but it's rare.

I used to feel this way (still do), but now I almost always just use Spotify on the go, and when im back home I basically do the same as you. Getting to choose between nearly any album instantaneously is just so much better than being limited to whatever you decided to transfer to your portable player.

That said, I agree that you can't trust a streaming platform with your collection, nor should you if you want to properly support the artists you listen to. Even though I use Spotify a ton (about as much as the OP per my Spotify wrapped statistics), I still continue to build my collection with CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and digital downloads (last resort) as if it did not exist.

I use playlists in foobar2000 on my desktop PC

This is the way. I rip all my CDs to lossless so that I can keep the CDs as master for my digital archive. But hell, Spotify is just so convenient on the go. It can occasionally let you down when stuff you want to listen to isn't on there, but I still got my copy back at home if I really need it.

And then there are other streaming options like Apple music, etc that I don't have that may have better options. Either way, getting access to stuff you don't own is a great way to find new stuff, for better or worse. I wouldn't trade what we have no for pre-stream days tbh.

 

[Mr. Halloween]

I still buy CD's from bands that are at the top of my list. I have a CD player in my truck, so I can listen to them on any longer than normal trips. I also make sure to buy at least one shirt at every show I make it to, it's the best way to support your favorite bands.