[deanCommie]

I can offer a couple of explanations.

1) UX is better through a streaming client. It'll be named cleanly, it'll have a nice thumbnail. Whereas a downloaded file would be named white_noise_128bit_v3.mp3 and would be in a Downloads folder with 10,000 screenshots and memes, and every time you try to open it you have to find it.

2) All-in integration with everything in one client: Here's my white noise in my history next to my favourite banger, next to my last podcast. Tonight, as I go to bed I decide I want to listen to....one of those. They're all there in one place.

3) Discoverability UX. Go to Streamer app. Search White Noise. Press Play. Done.

vs.

Go to Browser. Search White Noise. Scroll through pages of results of links about white noise, articles, listicles. Search again for White Noise Mp3 Download. Click top result. Get inundated with ads and links that LOOK like they should be a download, but actually take you to an ad network. Finally find the download link. It opens in an in- browser player instead of a download. Give up.

It's honestly to the point that most of our parents or grandparents can't even get there.

4) Oh also repeat the same but for audio players. Are there good local audio players? That aren't inundated with ads? And each with worse playback UX than Spotify/etc? Most phones now come pre-loaded with Spotify or YoutubeMusic or AppleMusic. Good luck figuring out what is a good local audio player.

[keymasta]

On point 4) I would say that there are good local audio players. A good audio player should support most file formats. Definitely the ones that are "findable", mp3, flac, ape, ogg, etc. Bonus points if it supports full-album flac with cue describing seperate tracks. For some reason "certain" sources like to distribute like this. On windows I use foobar2000[0], on mac Cog[1], and on linux honestly most players support standard features. If you're on an os that is more functionally compromised like Android, iOS, etc., you can always use VLC[2]. Note that the flac+cue thing doesn't always work properly and on foobar you have to find and install an extension to get it to work. Foobar is really nice as it support batch processing nicely. Also about the flac+cue thing, in foobar you can easily convert to separate tracks. It also runs fairly well in wine.

[0] https://www.foobar2000.org/download

[1] https://cogx.org/download.php

[2] https://www.videolan.org/vlc/

[copperx]

You do know that white noise can be generated really easily, right?

Tap on white noise app, press play.

You don't have to worry about having downloading the track so it's available when you hop on a plane, or having internet, or using mobile data.

Plus, most white apps have an equalizer to tailor the spectrum and several noise generators. You might like brown noise more in certain situations.

[deanCommie]

i do know that. I was responding to OP as to why people stream white noise, instead of downloading it.

I have a toddler, I'm well aware of white noise apps.

I'm still explaining why it's logical for people who think of white noise as audio to seek it in their music streaming app rather than getting Yet Another Single Use App, or dealing with downloads.