Swift rejection of streaming persists

Taylor Swift’s resistance to streaming services continues to play out with the release of her latest album — but it may actually be good news for fans.

The pop singer’s new album, “Reputation,” was not on streaming services when it hit on Friday, though it is uncertain if that blackout phase will last a week, or longer.

Swift’s last album release, “1984” in 2014, didn’t appear on any streaming services except for Apple Music for three years.

But even with Apple, she made her point: Music should not be free, and artists should be paid.

For fans, Swift’s push to CDs might not be so bad. Although consumers may end up paying more for CDs than they would for a month of a streaming service to hear thousands of artists and songs, the sound quality of a CD is far better than that of the streaming service, according to Audio Affair, a UKbased blog about speakers and sound devices.

Streaming services usually have a bit rate of 160 kilobits per second, less than a standard MP3 file, whereas premium services have a bit rate of 360 kbps, which is just about equal to an MP3 file.

But CDs have a bit rate of about 1,411 kbps, accord- ing to Sony. A 128 kbps bit rate, the amount of data processed in a specific time frame, has about the same quality as the radio.

Much has changed since her last album. Streaming services have become even more popular, and accounted for half of the music industry’s revenue in 2016, up from 34 percent in 2015, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Overall, music business revenue is around $7.7 billion, about half of what it was in 1999.

And the best parts of buying a CD? Swift’s new album costs $15 on her Web site, but fans will own the CD, and can share it with family and friends.

And there’s a bonus for diehard fans: If bought at Target for $19.99, the CD comes with one of two 72page magazines showcasing Swift’s poetry and pictures.