These tested, no-cost music services let you enjoy your favorite tunes without breaking the bank—or the law.
Music consumption has changed a lot since the year 2000. Back then, people purchased CDs, traditional radio still held weight, MTV was hot, and file sharing had become commonplace for those with PCs and fast internet connections. Over time, the music industry morphed to take advantage of the new digital landscape and to find new ways to capture dollars previously lost to Napster and BearShare. Digital downloads and online streaming music services eventually became the norm, thanks to the likes of iTunes and Pandora, respectively. Those trailblazing services, among others, helped internet music listening go legit and created a new music industry revenue stream. Easy Listening If you think you’ll miss out on good content by going the free route, think again—these streaming services offer a surprising amount of content. For example, LiveXLive (formerly Slacker Radio), differentiates itself with Stories, a hosted program that features interesting tales, ranging from love to horror. iHeartRadio blends live, terrestrial radio with playlists. Spotify has many free playlists and podcasts. Amazon Music Unlimited offers the same.
