Spotify

Mike is a big music fan and he uses Spotify to manage it. But it's not very good for that. Leo says that Spotify Playlists is the chief way to do it. But you're "renting" the music with a subscription, and that means a third-party app that can do it would be a challenge. Spotify is probably the best out there though, and that's not really saying much. But it's not really their business model either. It's more like a jukebox.   

There are plenty of apps for curating your personal mp3s out there, but that's not what Spotify is about.

Bill wants to know if he can make a living podcasting. Leo says that it takes a long time to build an audience to make a living. It's better to pick something you're really passionate about and then just do it. Focus on building your audience, not trying to make a buck. As for how to get started, Leo recommends Anchor.fm. You can put the app on your phone and create your podcast directly from it. Or you can upload a podcast you recorded the old fashioned way; you can even monetize it. They have a deal with Spotify and will also plug it.

Ed wants to know if there are any music websites that are free. Leo says that streaming music services like Spotify and Pandora have free tiers, with ads.  Apple has Beats One Radio. Spotify is the best. Radio.com. IHeartRadio.com, Tunein.com. All free. 

Rich wants to start a podcast for his Rabbi. How can he get started? Leo says that Anchor.FM is ideal. It has unlimited free hosting with a ton of great tools including music, calls, etc. He can even monetize it, and he can do it with a smartphone.

Charles' CD player is dying, so he's thinking of getting an MP3 player. Leo says that physical media is fading away and going digital is a good idea. He can take all the CDs he owns and "rip" them into an mp3 format. But it's likely that everything he owns and wants to listen to are available now using music streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, or Apple Music. They're around $10 a month or $15 for a family plan.

Dan just signed up for Spotify. Is there a way to set up the Echo to default to Spotify? Leo says that he can, and it's in the settings of the Amazon Echo app. There's also probably a "skill" that will do it. He can always just tell it to play a song on Spotify.

Kira's twin daughters love to listen to Disney music, but she doesn't want to buy it all because it's so expensive. What streaming options does she have? Leo says that Spotify is probably the best one. She can even tie her Spotify account to her Echo. They have a broad range of Disney music channels. Amazon Music Unlimited and Apple Music are other options.

Kenny wants to know music streaming service is the best. Here are all of the options: