There are so many streaming music services to choose from it’s got me singing the blues.
Yeah, sorry. I had to get the obvious cliche out of my system. I’m done now.
Anyway.
The dizzying array of feature choices and subscription levels among streaming platforms makes it really difficult to figure out which service to choose.
I can’t make the decision for you, but I can share some insight into what some of the major streaming music services have to offer.
What Do Streaming Music Services Have in Common?
Everything, basically.
The major streaming music services:
- Have a giant catalog of songs you can listen to on smartphones, tablets, computers, home audio equipment and, in some cases, gaming consoles.
- Are free or have a free tier with a few features you don’t have to pay for (except Amazon Music Unlimited).
- Have a playlist feature so users can build lists of songs in whatever order and groups they wish.
- Offer radio stations or channels users can turn to for genre or artist-specific music.
- Allow users to download music to listen without an internet connection.
How Do Streaming Music Services Differ?
There aren’t a lot of differences between music services, but they’re nevertheless significant.
- The main difference between streaming music services are the pricing structures. Some offer family or student pricing in addition to free and individual plans; others don’t. Prices across the services range from $4.99 per month to $14.99 per month, depending on features and number of users on the plan.
- Though all the streaming services have some features in common, each one also has its own unique pros and cons. Some might not be important to you but others might be deal breakers.
A Closer Look at the 8 Most Popular Streaming Music Services
Let’s take a look at what some major streaming music services have to offer.
Note: These features and prices may change at any time, so check directly with the services you’re interested in for the final word.
Amazon Music Unlimited
What’s cool: It has nice integration with Amazon products.
What’s not: Amazon’s unlimited music plan is easily confused with its Prime Music service, which gives Prime members access to two million songs for free.
How many songs: Tens of millions
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Smartphones, computers, Alexa devices, Fire tablets, Fire TV
Available Offline: Yes
Cost:
- Free 30-day trial
- Prime members: $7.99/month or $79/year for an individual subscription, $149/year for the Family Plan
- Non-Prime customers: $9.99/month or $14.99/month for the Family Plan
- Echo Plan: $3.99/month per Alexa device
Here’s more information about Amazon Music Unlimited.
Apple Music
What’s cool: The service includes original TV show and movie programming at no extra cost, plus subscribers get early access to new music from major artists.
What’s not: The user interface is clunky.
How many songs: Millions
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Sonos devices, computers and smartphones. Works with CarPlay.
Available offline: Yes
Cost:
- Three-month free trial
- Individuals $9.99/month
- Family: $14.99 for up to six people
- College students: $4.99/month
Here are more details about Apple Music.
Google Play Music Unlimited
What’s cool: The service includes a complimentary YouTube Red membership. Radio station content is available without a subscription.
What’s not: It doesn’t include a desktop app.
How many songs: 40 million
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Android and Apple smartphones, iOS devices, computers
Available offline: Yes
Cost:
- Two-month free trial
- Individuals: $9.99 /month
- Family: $14.99 for up to six people
Learn more about Google Play Music Unlimited.
Pandora
What’s cool: Pandora learns what music you like and dislike the more you use it. It’s great for finding new music and artists.
What’s not: The free plan is basically feature-free.
How many songs: 30 to 40 million
Playlists: Premium members only
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Smartphones, computers, TVs, Xbox, PlayStation and home devices
Available offline: Pandora Plus and Premium members only
Cost:
- Free with ads
- Individual: 30-day free trial, $4.99/month
- Premium: 60-day free trial $9.99/month
Find out more about Pandora.
Soundcloud
What’s cool: It’s great for exploring music created by independent artists.
What’s not: Some of the content may have embedded ads.
How many songs: 135+ million
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Smartphones, computers, Xbox
Available offline: SoundCloud Go and Go+ subscribers only
Cost:
- Free
- SoundCloud Go: 7-day free trial, $4.99/month (web/Android)/$5.99 (iOS)
- SoundCloud Go+: 30-day free trial, $9.99/month (web/Android)/$12.99 (iOS)
Learn more about Soundcloud.
Spotify
What’s cool: The subscription includes access to podcasts, videos and music videos. Spotify automatically builds you weekly playlists based on what it’s learned you like listening to.
What’s not: The free tier has lots of ads.
How many songs: Over 30 million
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Smartphones, computers, tablets, cars, home speakers, PlayStation, TVs,
Available offline: Yes
Cost:
- Free
- Students: $4.99/month
- Premium: 99 cents/3 months, then $9.99/month
- Family: $14.99 for up to six people
Here’s more information about Spotify.
Tidal
What’s cool: The service is artist-owned so musicians have a lot more say in the content they deliver to fans than with other services. Fans benefit with access to exclusive content concert tickets and more from megastars like Jay-Z and Demi Lovato.
What’s not: Some of the subscription levels are pricy.
How many songs: 48.5 million
Playlists: Yes
Stations: No
Supported devices: Smartphones, tablets, computers and network players
Available offline: Yes
Cost:
- Free 30-day trial
- Premium (standard sound quality): $9.99
- HiFi (High Fidelity sound quality): $19.99
- Family Premium: $14.99 for up to five people
- Family HiFi: $29.99 for up to five people
- Student Premium: $4.99/month
- Student HiFi: $9.99/month
- Military Premium: $5.99/month
- Military HiFi: $11.99/month
Here are more details about Tidal.
YouTube Red
What’s cool: The subscription also includes ad-free videos, Originals, YouTube Kids and a complimentary Google Play Music subscription.
What’s not: You’ll be automatically billed for the service if you forget to cancel the free trial.
How many songs: “Nearly endless”
Playlists: Yes
Stations: Yes
Supported devices: Mobile, tablet, computer and TVs (some benefits only work on certain devices)
Available offline: Yes
Note: The benefits aren’t available for YouTube videos you pay to view, like paid channels, movie rentals and pay-per-view purchases.
Cost:
- Three-month free trial, $9.99/month.
Learn more about YouTube Red.
Which Streaming Music Service is Best for You?
With 50 million paying users, Spotify is the most popular of the bunch for its huge catalog of songs and its user-friendly interface.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for you.
For instance, music lovers committed to Apple’s ecosystem may prefer Apple Music, while people who enjoy discovering indie artists might prefer SoundCloud or Pandora.
Your best bet is to give each service’s free trial period a whirl to see which one you like best before plunking down your cash.
Lisa McGreevy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. This topic is near and dear to her since she streams audio content roughly 14 hours a day, every day.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, one of the largest personal finance websites. We help millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. In 2016, Inc. 500 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the No. 1 fastest-growing private media company in the U.S.
source The Penny Hoarder http://ift.tt/2tKiyKR
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق