World over, music consumption via streaming has grown predominantly over the past few years to overtake traditional music consumption methods such as digital downloads, CDs, and vinyl. Traditional consumption is characterized by payment per purchase while streaming offers access to millions of songs at a monthly subscription fee hence boosting its popularity. This has led to several music streaming platforms stemming up to tap into this growing market while seeking to differentiate themselves from one another. This article seeks to offer you an insight into the different streaming sites as guidance on how to best arrive at a service that will suit your expectations;
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Spotify
This is the world’s biggest and most accessible streaming service with an unmatched catalog, well-curated content, and collaborative playlists which boost its usability. It allows for sharing real-time music, following artist pages, discovering new music, and personalizing your collection as well as the recent game-changing integration of podcasts.
Its accessibility is further boosted by the Spotify Connect feature which allows for connection to third-party devices ranging from TVs to speakers while also supporting apple airplay, PC, Mac, and iOS applications. To start, it offers a 3-month free trial and has both a premium and free version that entails ads.
Apple music
This is the second biggest streaming service and is the go-to service for Apple users as it’s preinstalled on the devices, has an integration with the Apple Watch, iPhones, and Mac computers, and a configuration to communicate with Siri. Unlike Spotify, it offers lossless audio and spatial audio with Dolby Atmos and allows for audio transfer between devices which contributes to a seamless listening experience.
Users enjoy exclusive content such as Apple Music Country radio stations, Apple Music Hits, and Apple music 1. It is accessible on other computers and Android via the google play store version and to start, it comes with a one-month free trial.
Tidal
Tidal offers the highest quality of music – better than any other service. Most of the content on the platform is in CD lossless quality and Hi-Res sound output. It also offers quality radio stations through which to discover new music as well as HD Music videos.
Tidal offers exclusive access to content like live streams, live shows, music exclusives, and concert tickets to artists like Beyoncé among others. It comes with a one-month free trial and unlike other platforms, subscription payment can be made through mobile money compared to others that require a VISA.
Other streaming services available include;
- YouTube music
- Deezer
- Pandora
- Amazon music