A lovely and enjoyable article. I understand what you are saying about the switch from the terrestrial radio stations to online music services. But I have ambivalent feelings. Let me explain.

I had a radio show at a terrestrial radio station from 1997-2000 but then had to move away for my day job. For awhile, I created a show for my old station, burned it to a CD and mailed it in. When the Internet reached a point that Internet radio was possible, I started one of the first Internet radio stations, which I still run today: WorldFusionRadio.com. Would I love to be able to be live and talk about the songs, the artists, and their meanings? Absolutely! Alas, between needing to sleep, eat, and earn money, I need to create a playlist of songs and give it over to the automation. World Fusion Radio has three streams on 24/7, and is NOT the corporate algorithm-run streaming services you justifiably criticize. You raise a good point though that I do not talk between songs offering explanations of the music. Maybe I should. But when I do run any information on the streams, I receive complaints that I am interrupting their music.

My day job is as a university professor, and a social philosopher, and I completely agree with your comments about what the technology has changed in society and how much of what we should learn is outside of compulsory education.