First there was the Walkman next came the portable CD player which was quickly followed by portable mp3 players like the ipod, today we have streaming services that require no storage on the user’s device or an additional device for that matter.
Gone are the days of borrowing a friends cassette tapes or CDs, nowadays it’s easy to create and share playlists with friends, discover new artists and songs, and listen to favorite tracks .
However, beginners who have just started with streaming may feel somewhat lost with the amount of services available. To help you understand a little more about the most popular apps on the market and help you choose the one that best fits your needs we have given a basic breakdown of Deezer , Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify and Tidal services below.
Deezer
Deezer’s music streaming service was one of the first to be launched on the market, going back to 2007. In it’s 14 years of existence, the service has slowly grown in popularity but not as much as other newer competitors . Reaching the current range of 16 million of active users Deezer has recently made aggressive marketing campaigns to try and gain some of the market share away from competitors.
- More than 70 million songs;
- Lots of podcasts and audiobooks;
- Free plan available;
- HiFi Plan;
- Reliable algorithm for recommendations.
- Identification feature similar to “Shazam”.
- Letters;
- Upload your own music;
- Available for many platforms.
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Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming apps right now. To use the service, you must register on the platform and choose between free and paid subscription options. Subscribers of the free plan are not charged any monthly fee, but they are served ads and have some usage restrictions. Spotify is available for Android and iPhone devices as well as Windows and MacOS computers. The app can also be used on smartwatches and virtual assistants.
- More than 70 million songs.
- Lots of podcasts and audiobooks.
- Reliable algorithm for recommendations.
- Collaborative playlists.
- Available for many platforms.
- Free plan available.
- Many payment methods.
Apple Music
Apple entered the music streaming market somewhat late, launching Apple Music in 2015. Before that, Apple users had to buy individual tracks or full albums through iTunes, a process that was far from practical .Thanks to its reach and dominance in the mobile phone market , the platform has been able to grow a lot in the last 6 years, reaching more than 72 million users and offering more than 70 million songs .
- More than 70 million songs. Lossless audio included.
- Lots of podcasts and audio books.
- Live radio.
- Own music editorial staff for curated playlists.
- Available for many platforms.
- Purchased songs can be merged.
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Amazon Music
Amazon Music is another service from the great conglomerate of Jeff Bezos, which includes streaming movies and series in as part of Amazon Prime memberships. Combining multiple services to attract new customers is a technique Amazon has embraced and has been a large part of its success as it attracts current users of the Amazon Prime services.
- More than 70 million songs;
- HD music included;
- Lots of podcasts and audiobooks;
- Many letters available;
- Reliable algorithm for recommendations;
- Available for many platforms;
- Free plan available.
Pandora
Probably the oldest of all the music streaming services Pandora was launched to consumers in 2005 after an initial attempt to focus purely on the B2B market in 2000 as Savage Beast Technologies, since then it has become the most well know music streaming service due to longevity. It’s most popular feature is the ability for users to create their own radio stations where users can add or remove songs that are suggested by Pandora’s algorithm . It’s worth trying Pandora’s free ad supported version first before subscribing to the paid version.
- More than 1 million songs;
- Pandora Stories offers insightful album commentary.
- Displays artist tour and ticket information.
Tidal
Tidal streaming service was launched in 2014 by the Swedish company Aspiro, but it only gained worldwide relevance when it was acquired by North American rapper Jay-Z in the same year. In the rapper’s hands, the platform grew and now has more than 70 million songs and 250 thousand videos. One of the company’s success factors is that it has partnered with many famous artists such as Beyoncé, Rihanna and Madonna. In addition, Tidal is known as the service that best compensates artists by taking into account the number of listens per songs.
- More than 70 million songs;
- Videos, live shows and exclusive content;
- HiFi Plan;
- Import function for playlists;
- Best copyright rate for artists;
- Support for many platforms.
Users should select their favorite music streaming services based off the specific features of each and which fits best for them.
