To date, there are a bunch of music streaming services and the vast majority of them are paid (with a trial period), but also there are free tools with truncated features. Music is an indispensable part of our lives and many people just cannot imagine a day without using it during education, work or some entertainment. At the same time, resources that allow you to buy or listen to music today are no longer a unit but a huge number all over the world. Consequently, we have analyzed the modern market for music streaming service with an aim to help you make the right choice and enjoy the best service that suits you well.
Spotify
Despite the fact, that at first glance Spotify looks almost the same as other services it has fundamental differences. It is probably best among others at picking up similar music, making playlists, counting the number of tracks. A special amusement for a music fan is Daily Mix or Discover Weekly option, which keeps track of your musical tastes and searches for similar compositions. In addition, Spotify has an element of the social network, here you can add friends and watch what they are listening to. All this can be done for free. In response, Spotify only occasionally turns on your ad, but usually, it is not very disturbing.
Price: Free (128 kbps), Individual subscription: $ 9.99 per month (premium, 320 kbps), Family Subscription: $ 14.99 per month (6 people, premium, 320 kbps)
Advantages: high bit rate, high speed, many additional features
Disadvantages: high cost
For whom: for people who do not want to complicate their lives
SoundCloud
SoundCloud Streaming Service is fundamentally different from other services. There are no popular albums, private radio stations and other artifacts that keep competitors. SoundCloud is an indie service. Here the artists directly interact with the audience and download exclusive sets and tracks along with experimental remixes. However, there is another side as, unfortunately, you will not find on SoundCloud the tracks of most well-known performers.
Price: free
Advantages: no payment and advertising
Disadvantages: small base of songs
For whom: for indie-lovers and unpretentious users
Deezer
The service is very similar to Spotify, it also has the ability to listen to music for free and good recommender system. You can find your favorite songs and listen to them by albums, or create your own playlist. Deezer can be used both in the browser and download the desktop client.
Price: Free (128 kbps), Individual subscription: 6,99 € (trial period 30 days), Family Subscription: 10.49 € per month (6 people, premium, 320 kbps)
Advantages: Digest FLOW, sync with Facebook.
Disadvantages: No additional features, insufficiently personalized playlists.
For whom: For Windows Phone users and those who for some reason do not want to use other services.
Apple Music
Apple Music includes the Connect service, which is designed to keep track of the news of your favorite artists and interact with other fans. The more you use Apple Music, the more selections you make are personalized by offering albums and playlist lists in the For You section with relatively minor mistakes. It is also possible to combine your tracks on iTunes (if you use) and Apple Music. Apple Music Service was launched in 2015 as Apple's response to the constant growth of its competitors - Spotify and Pandora. The service was embedded in one of the main products of the company - iTunes. In addition, apps have been released for iOS and even for Android. Apple Music apps have the ability to upload music offline.
Price: Individual subscription: $ 4.99 per month (there is a trial period of 3 months, premium, 256 kbps AAC) Family Subscription: $ 14.99 per month (6 people, premium, 256 kbps AAC)
Advantages: Compatibility with Apple (requires no additional software installation), merging with existing library, high bit rate (256 Kbps, AAC).
Disadvantages: Connect - unnecessary function, which almost no one uses.
For whom: For Apple fans.
YouTube
YouTube is not just an online video service but also an excellent audio player. In addition to the fact that artists regularly drop out their tracks in the form of video, often songs are also published in audio format when a picture is placed instead of the video. YouTube is able to compose thematic playlists on its own. In general, this service can find a lot of music free. Of course, YouTube is not comfortable listening to the phone on the go, but as a quick option when you need to find the specific song it is perfect.
Price: free
Advantages: quick search, the ability to watch a video, auto-pick, managing your own playlists
Disadvantages: inability to listen offline
For whom: for people who spend a lot of time with a laptop
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is now installed by default on most smartphones Android. The main disadvantage of strumming from Google is the weak playlist selections compared to Apple or Spotify. Google is trying to pick up music with digital algorithms, but it does not always succeed. Regarding music offline, the app allows you to download as much music to the music library as much space is available. This way, Google Play Music turns your phone into a fully-fledged player.
Price: Free for "Standard", US$9.99/month for "All Access", US$14.99/month for "All Access" for 6 family members
Advantages: free access to youtube red, different plans, and free trial
Disadvantages: weak playlist selections, no lyrics, not available in many countries worldwide
For whom: for the loyal Android users
Pandora
The service is based on the automated recommendation system Music Genome Project. The main function of Pandora is the careful selection of audio content under the user's taste, which is invited to evaluate the proposed tracks. Service takes into account up to 400 characteristics: syncopation, tonality, vocal harmonies, etc. Based on this data, the selection of performers takes place. In Pandora, it is possible to generate up to 100 "radio stations" taking into account genre preferences. You can create your own playlists, and use “add similar songs”. There is an option to buy tickets as the Pandora app comes with the Ticketfly interaction, which makes it all simple and fun. "Pandora" is available in the US, New Zealand and Australia.
Price: $3.99 per month, or $36 per year
Advantages: free and premium service, available on different devices
Disadvantages: available only in the US, New Zealand and Australia
For whom: best for passive listening
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