Being able to read music is a good, useful, and extra skill.

However, "our" kind of music and song really does require listening and ability to hear what's actually going on. Otherwise, it's just a direct copy of what's on the paper...or even an inferior one if your reading skills aren't that great.

Basically, I'm an "ear" player although I've now been able to read music for several years. I'm still have to think a bit with the "bass clef" but most tune books usually just have the melody or treble clef line(Of course, classical and big production scores are much more detailed.
Also, you have to learn to find your way around the instrument and until you are familiar doing this, it is probably easier to do so "by ear" if this is what you are used to doing. For instance, on the fiddle and mandolin etc, my fingers will instinctively find the note as soon as I see it in piece of written notation but this isn't the case with less familiar instrument. Then I find that my "ear" is extremely useful especially if it's a tune I already know.

I've noticed though that many people who solely rely on music have great difficulty in memorising a tune. I don't have so much trouble with this as, even when I play from music, I will eventually learn the tune "by ear" even if it's only from myself although it's obviously better to listen to other players' interpretations too.