Your music tracklist is the key to a great ride inside! 

Over the years options for group fitness instructors have evolved, including:  cassette tapes, CDs, mp3 players, purchased content (i.e. iTunes), streamed content (i.e. Spotify).   There has been a lot of activity in the realm of music streaming services and things to consider include:  cost, subscription options, size and diversity of the library/content, number of subscribers and connectivity of the user community, easy of use…and so on.

As a dedicated Spotify user [FOLLOW] since scrapping my Apple iTunes account over 4 years ago…I value these features the most:

Extensive music library, Spotify playlists, ease of creating my own customized playlists, download feature, user community and playlist sharing / following, reasonable cost of service and family plan option, personalize experience, radio feature, integration with multiple devices including my VW via CAR PLAY, playback options (crossfade, equalizer, privacy, etc.), low data use options, notification options.

I found this report online that provides a good synopsis of what’s currently available and the state of the industry.

The Verge 2018 tech report card: Streaming music

By Dani Deahl@danideahl  Dec 31, 2018, 2:30pm EST

https://www.theverge.com/2018/12/31/18156503/2018-tech-recap-streaming-music-spotify-apple-soundcloud-tidal

Some highlights include:

…the biggest change came from advocacy within the music industry, which resulted in the Music Modernization Act — landmark legislation designed to help artists get paid more from streaming services by streamlining the payment process.

The RIAA’s report for 2018 revealed that streaming now accounts for 75 percent of the music industry’s revenue.

…streaming services were integrated into even more everyday products, like wearables and virtual assistants. Pandora, Tidal, and Apple Music all appeared on Amazon Echo and Alexa devices; Apple Music made its way to Android Auto and Android tablets; Pandora Premium came to Google Home; Spotify launched on the Apple Watch; Amazon Music is now available on Android TV; and SoundCloud tracks can now be shared to Instagram Stories.

2018 also marked the arrival of Google’s new YouTube Music streaming service, which has gotten fairly good reviews as a whole, but dings for low audio quality and a few quirky UI choices. Google argues that YouTube Music has an advantage over its streaming service competitors as it includes not just official versions of songs, but remixes, live versions, and covers.

…Amazon Music Unlimited subscriptions had grown over 100 percent in the past six months. Apple also added another 10 million subscribers in the period between September of 2017 and April of 2018, and scooped up music identification app Shazam. Spotify also jumped in subscriber numbers, adding 5 million paid accounts in the period between July and November of this year.

User personalization was also a big theme among many services.

DJs also saw important strides made in how streaming services approach material that was traditionally a copyright nightmare — namely unauthorized remixes / mashups and full DJ sets.

Final Grade: B+

 

THE POLL!

What music source(s) do you use to AMP UP your ride?

 

Results of the Cycling Shoes poll…January 2, 2019

Shoes:  Shimano shoe – 13%, Specialized shoe – 13%, Giro shoe – 10%, Pearl Izumi shoe – 10%, SIDI shoe – 8%, Gavin shoe -2%, Trek shoe – 2%.  Others:  Muddy Fox, MTB, Giant, New Balance, Bontrager.

Cleats:  SPD cleats – 91%, Look/Delta cleats – 9%

Comments:  I agree a mountain bike riding show with whatever brand best fits one’s feet!  MTB shoe has a recessed cleat and is easier to walk in.

Thanks for voting and your comments!