by Dave Moore, CISSP
03/26/2023
The worlds of technology, computing, entertainment and the Internet changed dramatically in 2001 when Apple Computers released the most successful product they had ever made. It was about the size of a modern cell phone, and became the thing that nobody ever knew they needed, yet suddenly one everyone had to have. Apple made much more money from this device than they had ever made selling normal computers. The device was named the iPod.
The iPod, and its companion program iTunes, became, and in many ways still are, the measure by which all other Internet-based music delivery platforms and players are judged. While there were other MP3 music-playing devices and software-based players on the market, it was the functionality of iPod and iTunes that defined consumer desires towards the Internet music industry.
In recent years, smart phones, particularly Apples own iPhone, have supplanted the iPod, as modern phones have music playing functions that can satisfy most anyone. iTunes is pretty much gone, except on PC’s and older Mac computers, and has been replaced with the Apple Music app. Apple has also spun off separate apps for Podcasts, TV and Books, but again, older Mac and PC users will still be doing things from within iTunes. Confused, yet?
Apple Music/iTunes is still my favorite music-purchasing platform, mainly because I trust them not to rip me off. I’m also confident I’m actually downloading a song and not a virus, plus I can pay a little extra to buy versions that are not burdened with copyright protections. This allows me to move the songs to any device and playback system I want.
Things have changed dramatically, though, as many people have stopped buying songs and have moved to “streaming” services where, instead of buying a song that you can control, you simply listen to a song that the streaming service makes available, either for free or for a fee. The top contenders are Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Pandora.
Streaming may seem like the awesome “modern” way to go, but it’s a crummy deal for musicians and artists who are paid a pittance when their songs are rented on a streaming service, as compared to actually selling the song. Other downsides are if you stop your subscription, you can’t hear the songs any more, and, if your Internet connection fails or gets flakey, the same thing happens to the songs.
Many streaming music services like to call themselves “Internet Radio.” While websites cannot actually be considered radio stations in the true sense of the term, since they lack antennas that transmit radio signals through the Earth’s atmosphere, they function on the Internet much the same as conventional radio stations. Visit (i.e., “tune in”) an Internet radio station, click a button and suddenly you are listening to that “stations” streaming broadcast, just like you were listening in your car or at home using a conventional radio.
Choices abound when it comes to Internet Radio, with the most popular service. Top contenders include tunein.com and live365.com.
News, sports, talk and every possible music style out there can be found using these services, and most of them are free to use, which brings up an important subject: the need to setup an “account” to use an online service. I despise websites where I have setup yet another stupid Internet “account,” invent yet another ridiculous password and give yet another unknown entity my email address.
I’ve learned, with a little awareness and judicious clicking, I can navigate most Internet Radio sites and do what I want to do: click and listen. That’s it; no extra accounts or divulging information. I like it.
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org