(Photo Courtesy of The Independent) “Different music streaming platforms people are using.”

Celia Hoffman

Connector Contributor

Music has increasingly woven itself into every aspect of our lives in today’s world. More and more people are listening to music, thanks partly to streaming services which allow listeners to access a vast library of music, shows, and movies without needing to download or have physical copies. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), 73% of people listen to music through licensed audio streaming services. When Nick Capurso, a student at UMass Lowell, was asked how many minutes he listens to music per day by streaming, he stated, “around 100 to 200 probably”; and he’s not alone either. The average person spends roughly 20.7 hours on average listening to music every week (roughly three hours per day) which is an increase from 20.1 hours per week in 2022 (IPFI, 2023). Some could argue that the younger generations’ affinity for music has made it much more accessible, as streaming services work hard to update and modernize their apps.

Capurso said he is constantly streaming songs on Apple Music. “I’m always listening to music; it kinda drives me nuts when I can’t,” he said. “Even when I’m waking up for the day, I’m getting ready to get to class and stuff, or I’m walking to class, sitting down in class, I’m listening to music.”

Valentina Munoz Roa, a fellow UMass Lowell student, shared the same need for music. Munoz Roa said she listens to around five hours of music per day. “I need something else to do while I do work because it keeps my mind kind of centered…a lot of people can like work in the quiet and need the quiet. I need noise,” Munoz Roa said.

Listening to music for extended periods of time, like Munoz Roa or Capurso do, requires a comfortable pair of headphones and, as apps modernize, so do listening devices. Capurso said he can use his headphones for hours before feeling uncomfortable.

“I have ear buds that are like special piece ones for athletes,” Capurso said. “But the thing with them is that they have like, this little thing that sticks into your ear, so it doesn’t move around jogging or whatever.”

Jennifer Viera, who works in corporate communications, said she doesn’t use earbuds to listen to her music. “I just play it on my phone. I do have a speaker. I just haven’t figured out how to use it, to be honest,” she said.

Viera also stated that listening hours differ greatly from Munoz Roa and Capurso. “It depends if I’m driving, I listen to [music] a lot when I’m driving, but I would probably say maybe like an hour a day,” she said. However, she also stated that she uses music when she works out. “It motivates [me],” Viera says. “I use music for exercising. It definitely motivates me for exercising.” Music tends to evoke many different feelings in its listeners and, as shown by Viera, is commonly coupled with daily tasks like exercise and driving to and from work.

However, music can also be a huge distraction for some people. Munoz Roa said listening to her music while studying and doing schoolwork can sometimes be too distracting for her, and thus she needs to turn it off to focus.

“It just gets confusing…because a lot of my studying has to do with watching either lecture, making notes or doing an interactive like workbook that I have to listen to,” stated Munoz Roa.

Capurso also stated how music can sidetrack him due to the capabilities of streaming services, and how he can easily get sucked in. “I could get distracted, just like looking at new

music and stuff like that,” Capurso stated. Streaming services have made music more accessible to many people, but because of how easy it is to access, it can do more harm than good for some, especially when it comes to the artists themselves.

“I think that is a curse and a gift, in the sense that it allows smaller artists to get their work seen, put out there, but it’s also that because of that, people aren’t getting paid,” Capurso said. “It’s also a sea of just songs that might have two or three views, an ocean of other songs that are just lost.”

Viera shares the Capurso’s views on the matter, though she stresses the material cost for consumers. She commented that “streaming services have made [music] more accessible, but it’s also made it more expensive…Never did I think I’d have to pay $11 a month to listen to Apple Music for the rest of my life, like you just bought a CD and that was it, or you listen to the radio.”

Some people, however, have a more positive outlook on streaming services. Munoz Roa pointed out how she feels it is actually more affordable to use streaming services for music, mentioning Spotify as an example.

“Streaming services are becoming more affordable in the sense that it’s only the monthly charge instead of paying for each song,” Munoz Roa said.

One takeaway from all this, though, is that in this new age, it seems as though all generations are listening to more music. “I do remember when I was a kid like I listened to [music] obviously,” said Viera. “I think I listen to it more as an adult. [Music]’s become more accessible. It’s in your car, it’s on your phone. It’s just easier.”