I think Guest at 01 Nov 17 - 10:33 PM is right. When my band released its first CD our main objective was to raise our profile. We were therefore happy for it to go onto streaming sites, despite the pitiful financial rewards. I am pleased to say that not only did we cover the cost of making the album through sales but we got gigs from it we probably wouldn't have done otherwise, and are now much better established well beyond our local area. From that point of view streaming has its place, but as a loss-leader in the hope that it will lead to income from other sources.

For the listener streaming is a good way to try out unfamiliar artists without committing to purchasing an album. If I find something I really like I'll probably go on to purchase it anyway.