Hear It Through The Grape Vine: An Introduction to the Use of Streaming Audio Databases for the Electronic Delivery of Listening Assignments

Abstract

The use of streaming audio databases offers professors and libraries many options for the electronic delivery of “listening” assignments. Many libraries subscribe to streaming audio databases such as Naxos Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, or Classical Music Library. They enable online access to audio recordings and occasionally to the text materials that accompany these releases. The target audience for many of these databases is libraries: users within libraries may link to individual tracks, complete works, entire albums, and playlists via static URLs. Professors may embed these links into their courseware (e.g., WebCT, Blackboard, or ANGEL course sites) or work with libraries to use recordings from streaming audio databases via reserve lists. In addition to ease of use, correctly addressing copyright issues is a by-product of use of these databases. These databases enable constant access to content over the Internet and guarantee certain compliance with copyright law. Napster and Ruckus, two popular digital music sites that offer subscriptions directly to individuals instead of libraries, have been used similarly by some professors.