Spotify & Me: A Love Story
How A Music Streaming Provider Changed The Game For Me
About three years ago, I was just a little college freshman, entering a whole new chapter of my life. I was living in Cornell’s Clara Dickson Hall with a bunch of my close friends, learning the ropes of college life and ever-so-slowly coming out of my shell. Things were really great. But one thing was not so great, and that was my taste in music.
I’ve always been the type of person who loves listening to music, screaming songs with my friends in the car and getting my hands on concert tickets as often as I could. Despite this, my music taste was, well, shitty. I’m talking “Top 50 Hits” on repeat, with very little direction of my own. It’s sad to admit, but I was just like most other teenagers at the time. What’s the word I’m looking for? Oh yes, I was basic. And what’s even worse than that? I was subscribed to Apple Music. That’s just embarrassing.
College gave me the opportunity to meet lots of different people, all of whom listened to lots of different music. It was in the spring semester when I met a very important friend of mine, who’s quite the music connoisseur himself. Majoring in music, actually. Not only is he a bit of a piano-playing prodigy, but he also showed me the beauty of Spotify and sharing music with others. We began swapping songs almost every day. So, as my relationship with him blossomed, so did my relationship with Spotify.
This was a turning point for me, as I started discovering genres and artists I’d never explored before. I was finally browsing Spotify rather than Apple Music. I made some of my first playlists. I came to see how powerful music truly is, and I realized how it’s capable of bringing out so many emotions in me. I found my passion, and I ran with it.
Fast forward a few years, and I’ve developed a bit of a Spotify obsession. Especially since the coronavirus has kept me indoors, I’ve spent these months creating lots of playlists that I’m proud of. It brings me indescribable joy to create a mix of songs that play so nicely with one another, and to eventually share what I’ve done with my friends. Forget Netflix marathons, I’m spending hours on end on my computer creating playlists, editing those playlists, listening to new artists, you name it. It might sound silly if you aren’t really a music person, but it’s truly something I’ve grown to love.
It’s become a common occurrence to hear my (somewhat annoyed) parents saying, “she can’t hear you… she’s got those AirPods in again,” to which I jokingly reply, “I can hear you… and can’t a girl pursue her passion in peace?” They always just laugh, but they also benefit from my relationship with Spotify. My whole family listens to my playlists, each with their personal preferences of course; it’s classic rock all the way for my Dad, alternative for my Mom, Disney movie songs for my older sister, and just about anything I send works for my little sister.
When it comes to music, it’s not only Spotify that I’ve grown to love. I have become quite the concertgoer, singing and dancing at twenty eight concerts total over the years. Seven of those took place last summer. When I get to see an artist I love perform live, scream my favorite songs, and experience it all with my friends, I am the happiest version of myself. It’s hard to describe, but just the atmosphere at a concert and the way that music can bring so many people together is inspiring to me. As I watch these shows, I find myself thinking: This is it, this is what I want to do. I can do this a million times and it’ll never get old.
Maybe my obsession with cranking out playlist after playlist will die down when my normal life resumes. All I know is that with the help of a very special friend, and with the wonderful world of music streaming that is Spotify at my fingertips, I’ve uncovered a passion that won’t ever die down. Because of this, I’ve come to the conclusion that music is what I want to pursue after I graduate. I don’t know what that’ll entail or if I’ll be successful, but I do know that nothing sparks my passion quite like music does. I’ve been told many times the importance of working in a job that makes you excited to go into work each day; I can’t imagine anything more exciting than working in the live music industry.
I hope that I’ll never stop listening to hours of music on Spotify, until my ears need a break. I hope that I’ll never stop dropping way too much money on concert tickets I can’t afford. Most importantly, I hope that I’ll never stop pursuing my passion until it becomes my career one day.
Huge shout out to everyone who I’ve shared music with these past few years, and to those who have listened to my playlists. You make me happy.
May Spotify and I live happily ever after.
