What Has Music Streaming and Web Subscription Music Ever Done for Us?

Before anyone cries 'foul' because the title includes the word 'Streaming' and I have posted this thread in the Hi-Fi Corner, if you decide to read on you will see this is about how we I have radically changed my habits of how I listen to music, and how that has drastically affected how I access and buy music and indeed how that has radically changed and expanded my music collection. In fact this thread could have gone in any of the fora on here, possibly even the Padded Cell!

So I had the obligatory LP12, then got into home cinema, sold it, bought a 2 channel Naim CD based system, sold the LP12 and all my records, got into music streaming, sold the CD player and (low end) Naim gear and now have a mid-Classic Naim streaming system. Although there has been many changes of boxes over the years, the way I listened to, and more importantly, bought music remained essentially static over all that time. New (to me) music was trialled by listening to the radio, friends recommendations, the occasional live gig, and the obligatory visit to the record (and later the CD) shop on the high street. In hindsight, this was a rather haphazard and restrictive way of accessing new music. I often felt a lack of inspiration in what to get next for my music collection (no online services in those days) which often led to a degree of frustration which in turn led to either a snap purchase decision or the purchase of another album by a familiar band. Over the years my CD collection grew but the 'quality' of that collection, or the degree to which I got satisfaction in listening to much of it, declined. This led to a degree of 'over-listening' to my favourite stuff, which in turn led to boredom and a loss of enthusiasm for music in the home. I was left with only listening to around 20% of my CD collection and when I ventured to an unfamiliar CD, I would hear myself say, 'what was I thinking when I bought this?'

Enter hi-res streaming, ethernet wired in-home digital networks, online subscription services (namely full fat Tidal in my case) and online purchasing of hi-res music files and CDs, all controlled from the comfort of your armchair by an iPad and some funky apps. The whole world of accessing, trialling, reproducing, listening to and controlling music in the home had changed beyond all recognition. Suddenly I can listen to all my old favourite CDs in ripped format, listen to a whole host of online radio stations and check out some music websites (including the wonderful 'Music Room' forum on here) to see what catches my eye, actually then listen to a recommendation immediately on Tidal and decide if I want to just retain in Tidal 'Favourites' or go ahead and buy it in either CD or hi-res download (if available) format, all from the comfort of my armchair while listening to some wonderful music. Blimey, this is a whole new way of enjoying music in the home that is so much more convenient and IMO with better SQ. What is more, that 80% of my CD collection that I never listened to, no longer clutters up my living room. I am now able to try before I buy and I have far more sources of inspiration for music and bands that are new to me. Because I had amassed  a pile of music I never listened to in the past, I am now much more choosey about the music I retain (in Tidal) and particularly more choosey about the music I decide to buy. An album has to be good to get through the NigelB selection process. Those albums that show potential don't get kicked out immediately as I know that subsequent listens can bring a change of heart, either way. But I simply don't have time to listen to mediocre music anymore. I want to be entertained when I listen to music in the home during my valuable free time. The best bit is that my music collection has expanded dramatically and I now have a whole host of new favourite bands and albums. I had been missing out on so much over the years and this was mostly down to the way I was trialling new music.

OK, so apart from more convenience, better SQ, more sources to trial new stuff, easier ways of buying new stuff, a more relaxing and engaging way of accessing your music, an expanded and better quality music collection, what has music streaming and web subscription music ever done for us (well me)?