Streaming 411

David Bowie was a prominent musical presence in my youth and young adulthood.  Great tunes like Under Pressure collaborated with rock royalty Queen, Modern Love, Changes and Fame have earned Bowie and his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust the worldwide fame over the decades.   If you have an Apple ID, you can click on the image below to stream it.

Bowie's at it again with his first album in more than a decade - The Next Day - will be released on March 12.  But lucky fans like myself can stream the entire for free during a limited pre-release period at the iTunes Store.  I'm listening it to it right now as I type this out, and I'm enjoying it immensely.  Bowie has such "eclectic" range in terms of the type of music he puts out, from ominous, soul-searching and haunting like The Stars, Love is Lost, Valentine's Day and Where Are We Now to feel-good grooves like Dancing Out in Space and I'd Rather Be High..

The album is available for pre-order at $13.99, or you can purchase the single Where Are We Now for $1.29, which was released in early January on Bowie's birthday.

To stream the album for free, you'll need to follow these directions.  If you already have an iTunes account, you can skip the signup portion of the instructions.

• You'll need to first download the iTunes Player (for free), which is a piece of software that allows you to download digital files including music, television shows and movies, from their online store.
• Launch the iTunes software, and create an Apple ID (which is your email address).  You will need to enter credit card information here, but will not be charged for it unless you purchase something from the iTunes store. 
  
• Verify your Apple ID by logging in.  Once verified, you will be instructed to launch an application.  This is for any digital files that you have purchased from the iTunes Store that is stored on your device.
• Now you are ready to sign into the iTunes Store.  Click on sign in and enter your Apple ID and password.  You're ready to shop (or in this case, stream Bowie's album for free).  Click on Start Shopping.  You can search for David Bowie's new Album and listen to it for free.