Entertainment is one area in our budget where we can save big-time. It’s become more common — and much cheaper — to rent or download movies than to buy them, especially at the rate movies are consumed and their prices!
Now consider another source of entertainment: music. Music is available for the listening in so many places and in so many ways, purchasing music on a physical CD (or record, if you’re old school) is almost unheard of these days. Like watching movies, listening to music has become a little more complicated but much cheaper since the popular adoption of digital formats, which can turn your technology into your personal entertainment station. Let’s alleviate the complication by exloring the current state of music accessibility.
Accessing digital music
Of course, you can still purchase your music, if it’s important for you to own it: CDs are still available and iTunes, Amazon and eMusic sell individual song MP3 files for between $0.99 and $1.29 each. That file is the music you purchased and can be listened to from any device where the file is installed. A service called Bandcamp even offers cds or individual songs, direct from artists, at a very low set price, free or by giving the customer the option of paying what she thinks the music is worth.
If you don’t mind ‘renting’ your music, a subscription service is the way to get as much music as you want for only a few dollars a month. While it’s true that you must have the technology to listen to music over the internet, most computers or tablets have what’s necessary to access any music that’s available — and that is, quite literally, millions of songs. In other words, you have the power to listen from your computer or tablet to an unlimited number of songs, on demand, at minimal cost by subscribing to an Internet music service.
Substantial savings with subscription music services
Think about it: for the cost of a single CD ($5 to $10) per month, you can subscribe to an internet music service, such as Spotify, rdio, Napster and Rhapsody, enabling you to choose whatever music you desire, whenever you want. This music is streamed (delivered live) directly to your computer for immediate listening.
When you subscribe to an internet music service, you listen either through a downloadable or web-based music player on your desired device. Depending upon the service you choose, you can create play lists, play complete albums and have it find new music for you based upon your preferences. Some services also let you also stream (access live) or sync (store) music on your mobile phone for an additional cost.
Another benefit to subscription music is that it provides the opportunity to sample new music before you purchase it. Try it before you buy it and you won’t experience buyer’s remorse when you’ve shelled out ten bucks for a CD you don’t like! Also, consider all the music you’ve purchased on CD to which you no longer listen. With subscription music, a change in your musical taste doesn’t translate into dozens of now-worthless CDs cluttering your shelves.
Internet radio provides all the music anyone could want right on your computer or tablet, for the cost of just one CD or less than 10 single purchased MP3s per month. If you listen to music on any kind of a regular basis, Internet radio represents a big savings. More music for less money — sounds like another way technology can help us to save on everyday expenses.
Can subscription music save you entertainment dollars every month?
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