Radio is quickly becoming a thing of the past as free music streaming services are now common place offering free music whenever you want it, wherever you want it. No longer do you have to ring up a person cities away from you, to beg them to play your favourite song, while you sit at home suffering through the latest pop rubbish until it gets played.
The two most popular websites to do this at are Spotify and Grooveshark. Spotify can link directly to your Facebook account showing your friends what you have just been listening to (so make sure to turn the permissions off when jamming out to your guilty pleasures) and can be used directly though the website, or downloaded onto your computer. Grooveshark is similar except the Facebook logon option is replaced by Google or Twitter. Both sites offer the same features, you can listen to any song you desire and create playlists of your favourite songs meaning you don’t have to buy the music, but every time you want to listen it, it has to be streamed again.
Last.fm is slightly different. For those of you who have iTunes, you may be familiar with the genius sidebar. Last.fm is the mobile version of this. Linkable to your iTunes, iPod, Spotify accounts and much more it analyses your favourite music and helps recommended to you artists and songs you may like. Expanding your music horizons and giving you the options to buy them on iTunes or add them to your Spotify playlists.
Photo Courtesy of Invercargill City Libraries and Archives
DISCOVER
Spotify is a free web based and app based music streaming service. It’s also very social, giving you the ability to see what your friends are listening to and allowing you to share what you are listening to with your friends.
Last.fmis an online music recommendation site that has apps that can be downloaded on to your devices.
Groovesharkis a free web based music streaming service that offers many features including the ability to create your own playlists.
Sound Cloud is an online community where you can upload your own original content and share it with online communities and friends.
EXPLORE
Create a Spotify account and then create a playlist. Share these with our #anz23mthings community.
Use Last.fm to discover and listen to some music recommendations. Were they accurate?
Have a listen to my playlist Music based on books
Have a dabble on soundcloud. Use the online recording capability to create some audio content to share, or upload a masterpiece you have already created.
THINKING POINTS
What does your Libraries music CD collection look like at the moment? How could these services affect the borrowing rates of these in the future?
Does your library offer a music download or streaming service for clients? How do you promote it?
How can libraries use programs like sound cloud to promote local talent and patron generated content?
Thanks to Mylee Joseph at 23 mobile Things for helping give me some inspiration for this post.
Bonnie Mager (@bonniemagernz)
ANZ 23 Mobile Things 
I use Spotify and Soundcloud (mainly to listen to Brian Breach) and have a iPod. But I have never put in enough time to make the most of them, which is such a shame because I love music. This has inspired me to spend some time getting the most out of at least one of them. Thanks!
Pandora is my favourite music app. I love the way it learns from your interests and plays music based on that – great for discovering new artists, and also for rediscovering old ones 🙂 I have half a dozen ‘radio stations’ set up for different music styles, and love using it on my phone and PC.
I love music, but I only really utilise Tune in Radio, itunes and Shazam when i hear a song i really like.