Streaming and Beaming

Don't Touch That Dial! (nor that mouse, either) OR Why Conrad Feareth Not the BPI

Ah, on-line streaming music websites!  How I fondly remember Spotify's free service of, and here my memory gets a bit vague, five years ago.
     Then it got progressively worse and worser* and I haven't been there for probably a year.  "Why not?" chorus thousands of readers, "Tell us, Conrad, tell us!"
     By the time I metaphorically kicked it in the teeth and swore a heated goodbye to the free service, your time per month had been whittled down to fifteen seconds** eighteen hours, you could only play a song once** three times

YEAH! SKY-PUNCH!  BLUE OYSTER CULT PLAYING R U READY 2 ROCK!

Ahem.  I shall explain about that in a bit.  Oh, yes, Spotify.  Not only that, you got ghastly interrupting adverts every other song.  I'm sure by now and by extension for free you get thirty minutes per month, can play a song once and have five aural adverts for each song.

Then we come to Grooveshark.  Initially their website was glitchy, un-intuitive and not user-friendly.  However, they picked up my telepathic criticism and had a redesign.  There are no restrictions on access time, you can play a song all day long until your speakers vibrate apart, the adverts are subtle and sidebarred and are VISUAL and so don't interrupt.  Searching for songs and creating a collection is easy.  I tend to have it on in the background, playing whilst I create, and - well, apologies from a middle-aged man pathetically trying to stay young, those guitar slides in "R U Ready 2 Rock" played live really hit the spot.  Excuse an old rockist his foibles.  That "Beaming" in the title refers to my being happy with Grooveshark.  So be it.

And no, I'm not getting paid for this.  Any Grooveshark managing directors reading this who might want to give me vast amounts of £££ are kindly welcome, but I'd post this even if it didn't make me a penny.

Oh, for any overseas visitors, the "BPI" of the title are the "British Phonographic Industry", a trade association which includes anti-piracy measures amongst it's activities.  With Grooveshark, why bother downloading pirated music?  Simply not worth it.

*Yes I know that's not a proper English word but it feels right
**  Again inaccurate but, damn it, they feel right!



My own personal nickname for them.  Surprise! Other people think the same.  Conrad.  Trailblazing.