have you heard of Songza?

One bummer of living overseas is you can't use any of the major streaming services, like Hulu and Spotify and Pandora and Netflix Streaming (yes, Netflix, even though you pay for a subscription and everything!).  Trust me, I've tried.  Over and over.  It's because we have an Italian IP (internet) address and these services are not yet authorized to play in certain countries.  

I guess one plus is that it does cut down on the amount of TV Elliott and I might possibly would definitely watch.  But it's just sad that we can't stream free music in this day and age.  How else is a new mama living on an island (hah) supposed to stay relevant, hip, and cool?

So when I come back to the States I indulge myself in streaming music services (and Starbucks and B&N and thrift stores and Chipotle).  My favorite streaming music site is Songza, a totally hip site that helps narrow down my radio station to my mood.  I took some screenshots to introduce you to it.

Here is what Songza looks like now, on Thursday night, while I am writing this post:

I chose "Unwind After a Long Day," because I have a toddler and it was.  Songza then said:

Because I wanted to prove to you how hip and cool I am (despite my earlier self-pitying proclamations otherwise), I chose "Atmospheric Indie."

Because I was a little frightened when I got to this page and realized I was in over my head, I chose "Dream Pop."  I like nice dreams.

And here I am, with you, looking at this page and enjoying some mellow, chill tunes.  Ahhh...!

Other reasons to love Songza:

• Three words: No. Audio. Ads.   Move over, Pandora.
• A "Popular" tab where you can play popular playlists from this week, this year, or that are currently trending.  For those of us who are really concerned about staying relevant.
• The same rating system as we're all used to from other music streaming services: skip this song, thumbs up (play more like this), thumbs down, pause.
• Search and "browse all songs" features to find what you're really looking for.
• Apps for your iPhone, Android, and Kindle, too.

Now go check out Songza and enjoy along with me!

P.S. Songza obviously did not pay me to write this.  I am not that cool.

Vintage vinyl image via here.