The first song to be recorded was “Au clair de la lune,” a French folk song, recorded on a phonautograph. Since then music has been brought to the public through records, cassettes, discs, MP3 and more recently streaming services.

Over time, the mediums that brought music to fans have changed, but it was not until recently that they changed how we see music. Up until the creation of streaming services like Spotify, the task of getting music required you to be fully involved.

Listening to your favorite artist’s new album on vinyl or CD was previously an entire process: You would mark the release date, save up for it, go to the store and buy the album.

Listening to new music in today’s society involves you leaving class to lay in bed, procrastinating some homework and waiting until the clock hits midnight and then, just like magic, the new album you’ve patiently waited for is on your devices (unless you’re a Kanye fan—then it’s at least 12 hours later).

The convenience that music streaming services have provided us with has drastically changed how we view music, whether you realize it or not.
On a streaming service, you can click around and listen to hundreds of new albums and artists in a single day for the same monthly fee. Previously, listening to this large volume of music would have required a small fortune.

The freedom that streaming services provide causes a sense of de sensitization when it comes to music. Music can still seem special, but finding new artists you love on a streaming service is less rewarding than scouring stacks of CDs and records.

The accessibility to this all- you-can-eat music buffet has allowed people to enjoy a wide variety of genres and new artists where previously you were limited to the few genres and artists you could afford to follow. The caveat to this luxury is that people tend to lose that “special” connection to artists and music itself.

What fostered this connection was the time and effort it took to simply listen to a song. Technology has done wondrous things for the music industry, but it’s always good to remember the foundation that these streaming services were built upon.