Neil Young’s Lonely Quest to Save Music

Question- does/did Neil Young get it right with his Ponomusic system? The weak link is still the back end of that system for most average music consumers, no?

I get fantastic SQ from Spotify premium on my setup, and it's all at there at your fingertips from the comfort of your favourite chair. 

I have spent a fair bit of effort fettling the  system.

“We worry that the humanity is being drained out of music.”

Stream quality notwithstanding, this also could be a comment on the fact that fewer and fewer humans are actually involved in the creation of music.

jnorris2005

... this also could be a comment on the fact that fewer and fewer humans are actually involved in the creation of music.

On what do you base this "fact?" It seems to me that more people than ever are making music, often taking advantage of technology that simplifies creating it and recording it.

I agree Cleeds. Streaming and services like Spotify means we are entering a golden age of published music.

 I can listen to musicians from the world over the barriers to entry for unsigned acts to have people access their music are incredibly low. 

Maybe Neil is just rattled by suddenly facing competition from 10s of thousands of talented musicians for the public's ear time. Of course streaming also increases access to even established acts and music from generations past even.

Since I started streaming I'm now listening to material recorded 20 , 30, years before I was born. Some spectacular stuff that never plays on the radio channels I use in the car. Previously everyone's frame of reference used to be what records , tapes , cds friends and family played and that can be very narrow sub set of what you can find on streaming services. I'm enjoying music from my youth , young adult life , all the fabulous modern signed acts and some great stuff from the 50s 60s and 70s and I'm appreciating world music too.... 

All this with good sound quality for £10 a month , how lucky we are.

Theres a bonus too. Now I'm not contributing to further demise of the planet by making , packaging and distribution of all that plastic. I'm using the money saved to experience more live music events and improve my system.