Listen, Search, and Download 2009

[Christi U.]

Have you had "Rock the Casbah" in your head all morning? Would you like to share that new song by Coldplay, that is causing all the copyright issues, with a coworker? From streaming radio to music downloads, there are lots of options. Share your experiences below.

Mona Batchelor, our resident expert, is going to guide us through the ins and outs of on-line music this week.

[Mona Batchelor]

Good morning, everyone! Who knew there were two people named Mona Batchelor at this shindig? No, I suppose there's only me, but that 'resident expert' moniker threw me off.

Anyway, I'm hear and I'm listening. If I don't respond to you immediately, I've simply stepped away, but I have no intention of straying very far this week.

Let's have fun!

[Michelle Nielsen Ott]

I guess I'll be first.

I really enjoy Pandora. I get to listen to a lot of music that I like and learn about music similar to my tastes. I also have different Pandora stations set up so I can play a different station for the mood I am in. I especially enjoy it at work. I do have an iPod but the variety of music I get on Pandora would cost a fortune to download. Plus, I don't download music. I am a buy the whole CD type of girl. I figure musicians create an album not a song. I like to hear the whole album Plus, I usually listen to certain bands over certain singles. Yes, I could download the whole CD, but then I can't play it in my car. I have an iPod/radio adapter where I can make my iPod play on a FM frequency but that does not work well in Music City. I don't have to other type of adapter to play directly on my stereo in my car. I guess I need a new car to work with my iPod.

[Mona Batchelor]

It's not just Music City, Michelle, although that is rather ironic. Out here in the wide open spaces, it's a problem, too.

My car has a direct input jack. Neither Steve's nor Max's has one. The FM adapter was totally unsuccessful for Steve's car, and only moderately successful for Max's. Consequently, they both prefer XM for the car, saving their specific music listening for home and/or out and about.

Yes, I love Pandora, too. I have found it expands my musical horizons, but also confirms that I am relatively predictable in my musical tastes. :-)

[Christi U.]

I agree about the "album" thing, Michelle. As Ani DiFranco says in the song Fuel "People used to make records, as in a record of an event. The event of people playing music in a room. Now everything is cross marketing, it's about sunglasses and shoes."
I make mix tapes/CDs for my friends, but I'm wondering how long the novelty of that is going to stick around. I've stopped making such an effort for some of the people, who know just rip the music off the CD to stick in a random selection on their iPod. *sigh*
Of course, it's almost a turning of the Wheel back to the first recorded music. You could only fit 1-2 songs on a cylinder or album. Then it grew and you could create a whole concept around the order and feel of the songs together. Now, the single tracks are the highlight.
I like the fact that I don't have to buy the whole album, if I don't want it. But the expression for the bands has changed.

[Robbi De Peri]

Michelle, I tried the radio frequency adapter thingy for the iPod to much frustration (similar to the frustration encountered with my post factory satellite radio) but we found this other type of adaptor that looks like a cassette tape; you "play" the cassette and plug the other end into your ipod and it plays through the cassette player. No worries about the frequency.

[Mona Batchelor]

I've heard they are slightly better, Robbi, but none of our cars have cassette players. :-(

[Michelle Nielsen Ott]

me too, no cassette player. hence I need a new car.

[Mona Batchelor]

Well, good luck finding one with a cassette player. Two of ours are relatively new, neither have them. Perhaps certain makes do, though. Just not what we're buying. I think, in general, the cassette is old technology.

[Michelle Nielsen Ott]

Oh, I new a new car to have the iPod jack built in not a cassette player.

[Mona Batchelor]

Whew, that's a relief! I knew you were going to have an extremely difficult time finding a cassette player on a car nowadays. :-)

[Ronda Y. Foust]

I've had a similar issue with the iPod/radio adapter--but what I've found is that it works fine on the Interstate but horribly in town.

[Polly]

Amazon has free MP3 downloads here and the selection varies over time.

Christmas is a good time to download free seasonal music in this part of Amazon.