Gone are the days when students sit down during a free period, put in their headphones, and are limited to opening their iTunes library in order to listen to music. Instead, many are able to curiously browse through iTunes Radio, Spotify, Pandora, and Hype Machine. With the constant evolution of the music industry, Hackley students are always finding new ways to listen to their favorite songs and artists. These new applications and websites are beginning to eliminate illegal downloading and the buying CDs and MP3s, as well as continuing communication through social media in new ways.

iTunes Radio is a source of streaming music for free that Apple now provides on all of its devices. iTunes Raidio is a feature of the iOS 7 update, and allows people to build their own stations based off of music that they like. The radio also creates stations specifically for the user, based on their own purchased music in their iTunes library.

iTunes Radio also provides already made stations. In order to use iTunes Radio someone must have an Apple device, as well as a connection to the internet.

Sophomore Laura Seebacher said, “Instead of buying all of the newest popular songs, iTunes Radio has the top 100 songs, so I like to listen to that station.” Sophomore Lindsay Schechter along with Sophomore Alex Gluckman and Senior Gaby Mezzacappa use iTunes Radio to help them decide which songs they should buy.

Alex said, “I buy most of my music, but I occasionally use iTunes Radio to see if I like anything new.” “I want to listen to music tailored to me specifically.” Gaby said, “I use iTunes and different radios to find new music. Then when I find something I really like, I’ll buy it on iTunes.”

Spotify, another digital way of streaming music, gives people access to millions of songs  through an internet connection. It works on computers, tablets, smartphones, and even home entertainment systems. Spotify works on a membership model: it is free when downloaded onto a computer, but for access on a mobile device, one must pay a monthly fee. If Spotify is something one is interested in having on their phone, there is a 48 hour free trial available for download.

Through Spotify, people can browse through many different songs, albums, and artists as well as create their own playlists. On Spotify, music is social: through Facebook or Twitter, people can browse through their friends’ playlists and even follow them as well as their favorite artists.

Laura uses Spotify on her computer and said, “Spotify has all the music I love to listen too, and unlike buying from iTunes, the music is free.” Junior Emma Bhayani said, “I usually listen to music on Spotify because it has pretty much every song available! You can make playlists like it’s your own iPod.”

Junior Julia Baker finds it a bit inconvenient to use on her phone, due to the membership rule. “I continuously download the 48 hour trial and I delete it after the time runs out. I wish there was an easier way to get free music,” she said.

Pandora Radio is a free, personalized internet radio. Simply enter an email address and an account is created. Then enter an artist or song, and Pandora will create a personalized station with music of that artist as well as other music that is similar to what was entered. Pandora is unlike any other internet radio due to its slight element of chance.

When a listener types in what they want to hear, they will not receive that song in particular, but something similar. As their radio plays, the listener is able to skip songs and rate songs, in order for the radio to become more and more personalized.

Hype Machine is a music blog that has now been put on the radar as a great source for music. It can be accessed through a computer or through an Apple device by downloading the application for $3.99. It is a place where you can discover the most talked about music around the world, along with many other songs that are not even sold on iTunes or found anywhere else.

Every day, people from all around the world write about that music that they love, and it all ends up on Hype Machine for people to view. Hype Machine can be used through Facebook, as people can track their friends and what music they like, as well as listen to remixes and new versions of songs that other people post.

Sophomore Ally Petitti said, “I use Hype Machine to keep up with my sister and my friends’ music by following them and looking at their feed and songs. I can also get lots of remixes that I can’t find on any other website.” Junior Natalie Gustin said, “I like Hype Machine because it gives a variety of music that I don’t have to pay for which most of the time isn’t on iTunes or in the iTunes top 100.”