There's a chance you might be paying $10 a month – $120 a year – for a music subscription service. But did you know you can also stream for free with your library card and hoopla digital? With this service, you can search through practically any album you can imagine. My experience with hoopla has entailed searching for a random, small artist to be excited for one hit to pop up. Then, a week later, I seek the same artist and find even more options. The digital database grows off of your listening habits. If you have an artist on repeat, they are more likely to acquire more of that artist.  

Each album is a captured moment in time, a moment that has its own context, influences, and history. With multiple full album run-throughs during the week and a hint of background research, your music tastes will grow. That’s what music appreciation is all about! Though the checkout time for a music download is only a week, you get 10 downloads each month. Parcel out your weekly albums and the next thing you know, you'll have more money in your pocket and a deeper listen of an album.

Ask friends and family for recommendations. I always take suggestions seriously. A positive review from friend is a gold star, a guarantee that there is at least something worthwhile about it. Someone else is bringing a particular item up in a conversation, and this must mean something. It deserves consideration, a second of thought and a read of the synopsis. One neat feature of the shuffle option on hoopla, is that it can shuffle through all of the current albums that you have checked out. If you realize that the recommended music is not your style, you can always return a record early and get it off your virtual shelf, so as to not to disrupt the shuffle flow.

You can make the switch to hoopla today and supplement it with the old school compact discs still available at your local Anythink. Though I just focused on the music, you can also use hoopla to check out books, graphic novels, TV shows, movies, audiobooks and so much more!

Here are the tunes I am currently enjoying on the Hooplasphere:

Bear Hands: "You'll Pay For This"

Culture Abuse: "Peach"

Dr. Dog: "B-Room"

Dr. Dog: "Shame Shame"

Sum 41: "Does This Look Infected?"

Talking Heads: "Once In a Lifetime"

The White Stripes: "White Blood Cells"

Yoke Lore: "Goodpain Remix"

What are you listening to? We all could use more recommendations!