I am reading an article in the Atlantic – “What Will Happen to My Music Library When Spotify Dies?”.
I do use some music streaming services and there is one which I think is an exceptional value, because it is free.
I first heard of FIP while living in Switzerland. A friend of ours who was born in France gave me the tip and I’ve been an avid listener ever since. I now have the FIP app on my smartphone and use it frequently. I also use their services online at their website https://www.fip.fr
FIP is a service of Radio France and, when there is any commentary, which is very rare, it is in French. There is often a tune or two in French each hour, depending on which of the channels you listen to.
The channels are ROCK, JAZZ, GROOVE, POP, ELECTRO, MONDE, REGGE, and NOUVEAUTÉS. Currently, I oscillate between POP and NOUVEAUTÉS.
From that Atlantic article: “Unfortunately, the experts on media preservation and the music industry whom I consulted told me that I have good reason to fear ongoing instability. “You’re screwed,” said Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, after I asked him if I could count on having my music library decades from now.”
To summarize my advice to anyone who has this fear, don’t pay for streaming services which will go away. You can use services like FIP, your local public library possibly offers HOOPLA or another service for streaming music and your local radio station may also. Use them instead and you will be surprised at the depth of the music available.
