Spotify

Intro

Music has been around as long as humans. It is part of our lives, and it probably always will be. But the way we listen to music is always changing. First, we could only hear music if it was played right in front of us. Now, we can listen to songs that are recorded on the other side of the world! 

Spotify is an app that allows people to listen to all the music in the world. It costs $10 a month, which is a really good deal for all those songs. Streaming your favorite artist’s music from anywhere is easy using Spotify. Many people think streaming music from home is a novel idea. 

Gary just signed up for Spotify. Find out what Sara thinks in today’s English lesson about a new way to listen to music.

Dialogue

Gary: Hey Sara, do you still buy CDs?

Sara_R: I do, sometimes. I buy them used.

Gary: You do? I actually signed on to a service called Spotify.

Sara_R: What is Spotify?

Gary: It’s really great. It’s revolutionized the listening experience. You can listen to any artist.

Sara_R: How? What do you mean?

Gary: So it’s a web service, and so you’re streaming music from the web onto your phone or onto your computer. And you don’t have to worry about buying specific music. You can just listen to all these new artists, or old artists.

Sara_R: So, it’s capitalizing on streaming. How much does is it cost?

Gary: It’s only $10 a month.

Sara_R: That’s kind of a steal.

Gary: It really is. So, it is hopefully stopping people from pirating music. 

Sara_R: Oh yeah.

Gary: Because there are so many people just stealing CDs or stealing things from the web.

Sara_R: Right.

Gary: It’s such a novel idea, because you never have to buy music again. Because it’s just $10 a month for all of this music.

Sara_R: That is totally revolutionary. 

Gary: I agree.

Sara_R: I’m going to try it.

Gary: Yeah!

Discussion

Gary just started using Spotify. He says that the service has revolutionized the way people can listen to music. He thinks that paying $10 a month for all of his music is a really good deal. 

Sara doesn’t use Spotify. In fact, she still buys CDs. But she is interested in new ways to stream her music. She says that $10 a month for all the music in the world is a steal. Sara wants to try using Spotify. 

Do you use Spotify? What do you think is the best way to listen to music?

Grammar Point

Simple Future Tense 

Sara wants to start using Spotify. She says, “I’m (I am) going to try it.” She uses the simple future tense. 

We use the simple future tense to talk about things that will happen at a time later than now.

Using be going to is one way to form the simple future tense, as in, “I am going to watch a movie tonight.” Sara uses this form to say she will use Spotify in the future. 

Another way to form the simple future tense is with will, as in, “I will see you soon.”

In some situations, like when you’re making a prediction about the future, you can use either be going to or will. But to talk about something that’s already planned or decided, it’s best to use be going to, as in, “I’m going to watch a movie later. Want to watch it with me?” 

Which sentence uses the future tense, “I am going to the store tonight,” or, “I was going to see a movie tonight”?

                                                                                     

Vocab

services n.

Definition

work done for others; help; resources

Example

There are services all over the US for people who are addicted to drugs.

revolutionize v.

Definition

change (something) a lot; make something very different than when it started

Example

The Ipod revolutionized the way we listen to music.

capitalize v.

Definition

make money; profit

Example

Paparazzi try to capitalize on photos of celebrities doing day-to-day things.

a steal n.

Definition

good price; cheap

Example

Your TV only cost $50? That’s a steal!

app n.

Definition

short for application; computer program for one’s phone or tablet

Example

My bank has an app that allows me to pay for things with my phone.

good deal expr.

Definition

cost less than expected; reasonable cost

Example

I went to the new hair salon and got a good deal on a haircut.

streaming v.

Definition

playing music or movies through the internet

Example

I like to listen to streaming music from different internet radio stations.

novel idea n.

Definition

good or interesting idea

Example

Combining a spoon and a fork to make a spork was a novel idea.

pirating v.

Definition

taking something without paying for it

Example

I’ve been pirating movies for months. I don’t think I’ll ever get caught!

CD n.

Definition

compact disc, plastic disc with music recorded on it

Example

Did you get any new CD’s today? I bought three.