Streaming is essentially free if you choose. There is a free version of Spotify (with ads). It can be a great tool for discovery and listening before buying. As an example, if you find an "album" that is interesting to you, search for the album on Spotify. Click on the album, and you'll get a list of tracks, including how many times each track has been streamed. You'll often see that a popular track has been streamed many times more than the other tracks on the album. Spot check of few of the tracks. If you like them, stream the whole album. If you spot check the most popular tracks, and still don't like the album, move on. Lastly, if you like the album, buy it on your favorite format. I've added a lot of newer vinyl to my collection after first trying it on Spotify.