Swap It! iTunes

Awhile ago I decided that I wanted more music in my life.  It's something that really adds joy to my life, but because of the expense, I've never been one to have a huge music collection.  I would go to the library and picked up cds, but eventually the cd player quit on us (who knew a child's Tinkerbell cd player would be so unreliable?).  And to be honest, while I adore the library, I was never really able to get the kind of music that I wanted there.  And sometimes I would get a bunch of cds and forget about them entirely and return them late.  And pay fines. Ugh, fines!

Then, I received a very generous gift of an older iPhone from a friend of mine.  She had upgraded, and knew I could use it.  And then something happened. I rediscovered iTunes.  Since I don't have internet at home (just on my phone) I had forgotten about iTunes for the most part.  I was giddy with all my new music obsessions! I started buying one song here, another there, and before I knew it, I had spent $40 in new music (Dolly Parton, Sam Smith, and Bob Dylan in case you were wondering). In a week.  I was out of control!

Then I had remembered my friend's love of Pandora.  Whenever she's comes over for dinner she turns on Pandora on her phone and we stick it in a glass which gives it a speaker effect (it's an awesome trick, try it!).  And Pandora is freeeee!  Well, sort of.  It's free with a bunch of obnoxious ads.  They were so frequent and offensive (in your face advertising drives me bonkers), I couldn't take it anymore (which I'm assuming happens quite a bit)!  I took the plunge and ordered ad-free Pandora for $3.99 a month (I locked in that rate because it is a recurring monthly charge.  My rate will not go up.  I think they have since raised it to $4.99/month).

And you know what?  It's awesome! I just uploaded the app on my phone and started "making stations" (really you just enter in the name of an artist and it adds their station).

When you choose a station on Pandora internet radio, it will play music from that artist, as well as artists in the same genre.  About every few songs a song will be played by the artist you chose.  There are endless stations available, and it's a great way to be introduced to new music.  I'm sold!

If you are a music lover with a penchant for spending too much on downloads from either iTunes or Amazon, considering giving Pandora a try!

How do you get your music? Have you made the swap from iTunes to Pandora? Is there another resource like it? Please share your thoughts in the comments section!