The internet jukebox: streaming makes music available anywhere

By Dirk Averesch Feb 5, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Berlin - Music streaming is pretty old hat these days. Internet radio stations have been up and running for a decade, but new advances mean listeners have many more options, being able to pick precisely which songs they want, not just a basic music genre. The music can also go with them wherever they want, so long as they have internet access.

It's a change for people who spent years accumulating CDs and MP3 hard drives, which suddenly look outdated. And the switch opens up questions about legal issues. But the trend seems here to stay.

On the one hand, there are pure online storage services for a person's own music collection. Users load their music up to the service's server so they can then access it from any computer or smartphone. Providers include MP3Tunes, mSpot, TelekomCloud, TunesBag or Google Music, though the last one is only available in the United States for now.

But there are drawbacks. Uploads can take a while. Some, like Amazon and Android, limit service outside of the United States, though that hurdle is easily beaten by providing some kind of US mailing address.

Other services come with flat rate listening deals, like Simfy (16 million titles), Napster (15 million), Juke (15 million), Deezer (13 million) or Musicload Nonstop (5.5 million). You can listen to the songs as often as you want. Downloading is usually not an option, though there is sometimes the option of listening offline.

Prices vary, depending upon whether you're looking for music storage space or full access to a service's database. Some are free. Others demand monthly or annual subscription fees. Most include services for blocking advertisements; apps for mobile use of the services with a smartphone or tablet; parallel use on multiple devices; or extra storage space.

'Basically, it depends on whether you want to 'own' the music or if right of use is enough,' commented German computer magazine c't, which has tested a dozen such services.

If you're not sure which service is right for you, experts recommend reviewing your music consumption for the last few months. Did you buy a lot of CDs or MP3s? Did you listen to them? Or were you more occupied with multi-streaming services?

Further service models include Sony's Music Unlimited (7 million titles) and Apple's iTunes Match (20 million), which combine a little of both services. They make all the music files on your computer available for streaming from the service, provided they're included on the database. Itunes Match, which costs 25 euros (32 dollars) a year, even uploads songs from your music collection if they're not in the iTunes database.

Grooveshark goes one step further. The US service reports 30 million users and a large variety of songs. Users are allowed to upload songs so anyone can listen to them. Grooveshark makes money with advertising and subscriptions.

Unlike other services, Grooveshark makes available all uploaded files. The obligation falls on artists or labels to demand license fees or the removal of a song. It's a business model that invites legal contest, but doesn't necessarily make it illegal or subject to fines.

'As a user, I just assume you have the proper rights,' says Astrid Auer-Reinsdorff, a German lawyer who specializes in IT law. But she advises against using 'clearly illegal sources.' And there is a responsibility for the user to figure out what is in the clear.

The same rules apply to video or audio uploads. 'You should keep away from uploading,' she says. 'Private copy privilege doesn't apply on the net.'