The best music streaming services have improved our lives. Here’s how to choose the one that best suits your needs.
If you were born after 1995, you might not remember a galaxy far, far away before Apple Music and YouTube. However, we’ve come a long way since we eagerly awaited the latest releases on the radio. On-demand streaming services first hit the global radar with Pandora in 2000, followed by SoundCloud in 2007. Spotify exploded onto the scene in 2008 and changed life as we know it.
If you’re a music lover, we’re living in exciting times. With so many streaming apps, the world of music is at your fingertips. Choosing the right music streaming app doesn’t have to be complicated.
With free apps to download and over 30 million songs, we’ll help you figure out what questions to ask yourself to choose the right music streaming app. For you… for your needs. Better yet.
Q1: How Will You Music Streaming Services?
Unless you’ve recently arrived from another planet, you probably have a smartphone. Most music streaming apps are compatible with iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows Phone, allowing you to listen to music on your phone and desktop. However, some streaming apps work better on a computer than others.
For example, if you often listen to music at your desk at work, the popular Spotify app is a great option and is available for Sony’s PlayStation 4, Sonos hi-fi systems, and Google’s Chromecast and Fire devices. Amazon TV, despite its mobile app, also works great with Apple TV.
If you’re familiar with the Apple ecosystem and plan to stream music to your iPhone, iPad, and more, Apple’s music streaming service, Apple Music, is an obvious choice. However, many other apps, such as Spotify and SoundCloud, sync well with iOS. SoundCloud, Google Play Music, and iHeartRadio are all well-integrated apps for Android users.
Q2: Do You Want Access to Video Content?
If you’re a video buff, Spotify can’t help you. However, video giant YouTube (known for its recent pranks with jumping goats) recently launched YouTube Red. This monthly subscription lets you watch videos from your favorite artists without ads interrupting your video viewing. Watch all your music videos, even offline.
Another option for video lovers is Tidal, a streaming service originally launched by music mogul Jay-Z. It’s the only app that offers high-quality music and high-quality sound reproduction that’s reminiscent of vinyl and CDs. It’s also packed with new and popular music videos from artists like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Macklemore, and more.
Q3: How Much Are You Willing to Pay?
If you’re a true music lover but are concerned about rising monthly fees, there are free music streaming app options that won’t break the bank. Most apps offer a free trial, usually lasting from a week to a month, but Apple Music recently offered a three-month free trial. Spotify and Google Play let you listen to music for free, but not without ads between songs. if you want to get rid of them, you can always subscribe to the premium version.
One of the best apps for your money is iHeartRadio, a radio streaming app that’s free to download on most devices and has over 15 million songs in its database. Unusually for a free app, it also lets you create your own radio stations and playlists so you can easily access them next time. Perhaps the best thing about this free app is the lack of annoying ads.
One downside. It’s currently only available in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. SoundCloud is another free app that directly showcases new independent artists and lets you connect with a community of music fans. You can follow your friends and bands, add songs to your favorites, and create playlists.
Q4: Do You Want to Stream or Store Your Music?
Let’s say you already have a large music collection, but you want to continue streaming through apps. In that case, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify all let you stream from their catalogs and upload and play your own personal collection.
This means that the apps search your collection for music you’ve already purchased and let you manually upload it. This is a good option if you’ve built up a large collection over the years but still want access to the music you haven’t purchased. Spotify also offers offline listening, which is ideal if you travel a lot but don’t have enough storage space to store millions of songs.
Q5: Is Your App User-Friendly?
For music lovers, an intuitive interface is essential when searching for millions of new songs and albums. Spotify, a Swedish on-demand music app, has a unique, typically Scandinavian interface with clear and intuitive features. It allows you to quickly navigate through playlists and has a simple play button for listening to songs. Both the desktop and mobile apps are easy to use. Another easy-to-use app, SoundCloud, allows users to easily embed music players online, making it a favorite among bloggers who want to integrate a clean and customizable music player/streamer into their posts.
Q6: How Easy is it to Discover New Music?
With every on-demand music app, you can access a wide range of music genres, but not all apps offer access to music from independent or emerging artists. The music streaming app Slacker uses a very active fan community to create curated stations, ranging from new releases to genre classics and artist best-ofs. It’s a great way to discover new music.
If you’re looking to discover the next big independent artist, no other music streaming app can compete with SoundCloud. This tool offers exclusive mixes and unreleased music from new artists and DJs that won’t be available on other apps. Since musicians and artists can upload their new music for free, this is an ideal app for discovering new content that won’t be available on other services.
Spotify offers a “Discover Weekly” feature that analyzes your music preferences and creates a playlist of similar music that you can listen to at the beginning of the week.
If you’re a music addict, your music streaming app of choice will play an important role in your life, and it should perfectly fit your lifestyle.
The apps on this list are the best of the best, and as the market grows with competition, they’re only going to get better. Ask yourself the right questions and make an informed decision before downloading The One.
