I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of streaming music. While the majority of consumers in Australia probably don’t share this opinion just yet, with the launch of Spotify this morning and Rdio about a month ago, Australians have the best services in the world available to them and its only a matter of time before they realise the benefits of the medium.

In the past buying vinyl, cassettes or CDs was great, you actually got something tangible for your hard earned money. I was a huge fan of this, but when music started to transition over to MP3s and iTunes I became wary. Why was I paying the same price as a CD for an MP3 that just sat in my iPod? The value was taken away.

Streaming music has changed everything and in my opinion will save the music industry. While it is undeniable musicians don’t make as much money from streaming music (they get a small cut every time you stream a song) it is actually saving music in two ways.

Firstly it stops people illegally downloading music. Spotify in particular can be thanked for this because it offers a service that makes getting music for free easy.

Secondly it is making people more interested in music and discovering new bands/artists. Streaming services like Rdio and Spotify have changed the way we discover music and made it easier than ever to find something new. Without having to invest in a band or artists album, we can simply listen to their music without the investment. With built-in social features it is also becoming easier than ever to share your music with friends.

I don’t know about everyone else but streaming music has changed my life, well my musical life anyway. Never before have I listened to so much music, been interested in music and discovered so many new bands. I’m even going to more concerts than ever before (which is even better for the music industry).

Unless Apple does something to compete with these services, iTunes will be dead very soon. Because the time of music ownership is over and the age of streaming has begun.