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posted by janrinok on Monday February 18 2019, @06:54PM   Printer-friendly
from the it-makes-sense dept.

How streaming music could be harming the planet

Once vinyl or a CD is purchased, it can be played over and over again, the only carbon cost coming from running the record player. However, if we listen to our streamed music using a hi-fi sound system it's estimated to use 107 kilowatt hours of electricity a year, costing about £15.00 to run. A CD player uses 34.7 kilowatt hours a year and costs £5 to run.

Solution: Use a smartphone or laptop with headphones unless you are playing music for guests. Download the songs you play repeatedly.


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  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Monday February 18 2019, @07:36PM (10 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Monday February 18 2019, @07:36PM (#803120)

    Since we are talking about "streaming". Let us talk about the power consumed by the servers storing all the data, the power used by all the telecommunications equipments between you and them, and the power consumed by the offices used by the companies that create and maintain these services. Remember most streaming is DRMed and therefore its very use is tethered to the existence of one or more companies.

    Now, let us compare this to the total power needed to obtain material for, assemble, create content for, package, ship, and sell, your CD or vinyl record. Once a CD/record is pressed it is not tethered to the company, so only a part of the power consumed here counts.

    How much power is used by record execs banging hookers and snorting coke anyway? :P

    "Solution: Use a smartphone or laptop" which is great if you already have those and a need to have them already that justifies the expenditure and power/resources used to create them. (Is this just another cell phone advertisement?)

    Real solution: Don't listen to music. Usage: 0 kilowatt hours. Bonus points that you deny some record exec some of their hookers and coke.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Monday February 18 2019, @07:40PM (4 children)

    by acid andy (1683) on Monday February 18 2019, @07:40PM (#803124) Homepage Journal

    How many kilowatts does humming a tune to yourself eat up? What about whistling? These are important questions.

    --
    If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday February 18 2019, @07:52PM (3 children)

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Monday February 18 2019, @07:52PM (#803136) Homepage Journal

      Irrelevant in my case. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. I can learn to play anything on a guitar with enough practice but Row Row Row Your Boat is beyond my abilities if vocal cords are the desired instrument.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
      • (Score: 3, Touché) by RamiK on Monday February 18 2019, @09:38PM (1 child)

        by RamiK (1813) on Monday February 18 2019, @09:38PM (#803196)

        I can learn to play anything on a guitar with enough practice

        K get back to us when you're done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fomb4YZC8x8 [youtube.com]

        --
        compiling...
        • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday February 19 2019, @12:50AM

          by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday February 19 2019, @12:50AM (#803283) Homepage Journal

          Pass. Can and want to are different qualifiers. I've taught myself enough to play a few songs over the years but as soon as I learn the song well that I wanted to learn, I stop playing. I don't want to actually do it, I just want to know that I could if I wanted to.

          --
          My rights don't end where your fear begins.
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by pipedwho on Monday February 18 2019, @10:21PM

        by pipedwho (2032) on Monday February 18 2019, @10:21PM (#803215)

        Don't worry, I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket either. But, I can sing pitch perfectly without autotune anything in my 2 octave vocal range. Although, playing the guitar at the same time is much harder if either the vocals or guitar parts are really complicated.

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday February 18 2019, @07:52PM (3 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday February 18 2019, @07:52PM (#803135)

    Hookers, dealers, mules and growers all have to make a living, too... put them out of their present line of work and they'll become a burden on society's welfare systems. /s

    Another thing that has to be taken into account on the physical media side of the spreadsheet is all the overproduced product, those bins full of Foreigner 4 LPs, the landfill full of Atari ET games...

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday February 18 2019, @07:55PM

      by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Monday February 18 2019, @07:55PM (#803139) Homepage Journal

      Shit, I remember playing that. It kinda sucked compared to Adventure but at least you didn't get a blister in the palm of your hand like with Track and Field.

      --
      My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 3, Touché) by krishnoid on Monday February 18 2019, @08:55PM (1 child)

      by krishnoid (1156) on Monday February 18 2019, @08:55PM (#803174)

      Hookers, dealers, mules and growers all have to make a living, too... put them out of their present line of work and they'll become a burden on society's welfare systems. /s

      Probably by joining pharmaceutical companies. Wait, maybe you were *talking* about the pharmaceutical companies?

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:15AM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday February 19 2019, @03:15AM (#803320)

        Did you catch the story about the pharma rep doing lap dances to move opioids? Should be able to Google search for it, it wasn't a The Onion story.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 18 2019, @08:49PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 18 2019, @08:49PM (#803168)

    Let us talk about the power consumed by the servers storing all the data, the power used by all the telecommunications equipments between you and them, and the power consumed by the offices used by the companies that create and maintain these services.

    This story is about streaming music, not ad servicing companies and companies that track you and aggregate untold amounts of data about you that is sold to the ad servicing companies. ;-)