Everything You Need To Know About Music Streaming Apps

Just like streaming services for TV shows and movies, there are many different music streaming apps available and many people have a personal preference for which music streaming app they prefer. Many music apps have their own specialty and have different price ranges for the subscription. If you took the time to experiment with each music app, it would waste a lot of time and money to pay for the subscriptions. Therefore, I am going to share my experience and insight with these few music streaming apps and what you need to know before spending money.

Spotify

Spotify is a popular music streaming app with free and paid services. Spotify offers free users the opportunity to use their app but like other free streaming services, free users have limited options and privileges and can only enjoy basic services. It is the world’s largest music streaming service provided, with more than 365 million monthly users, and about 165 million paid subscribers. 

Spotify is a freemium service, meaning that while the basic features of the app are free with advertisements, but there are additional features of the app that are available to paid users. The services that are available to free users to music streaming with advertisements and play music on shuffle. On the other hand, as a Spotify premium user, you can choose what music you want to listen to and not get distracted by the advertisements that come up between your music. Also, another benefit of a Spotify premium user you can download music to play offline. 

Now you may be asking yourself whether a Spotify premium account is worth it or not. One of the questions to first ask yourself is whether you listen to music a lot, either while doing other tasks or just enjoying listening to music during your free time. If both of these apply to you, then a Spotify premium account is worth it for you. With a premium subscription, you can choose your songs and your own shuffle playlist and also download music to listen to on the plane or when you are traveling. 

Not only can you listen to music on Spotify, but you can also listen to podcasts, radio stations, talk shows, and audiobooks. The Spotify app can be found on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS smartphones and tablets, a webpage option, and also has a laptop app too. One of the features that I find really convenient is the “Spotify Connect” option which allows you to connect to the app on your phone, laptop, and other speaker systems when you are logged into the same account on your devices. 

Spotify has multiple plans for different types of users. A basic Spotify Premium account is $9.99 a month is usually an individual account for a single user. The Spotify Duo subscription is $12.99 a month and it can be shared with a friend or family member. Each person gets their own Spotify account, but share the same plan. If you are a student, there’s an extra discount and Spotify Premium is only $4.99 a month and comes with an ad-based Hulu subscription and Showtime, you will just need to verify with a student email address. Last but not least there is the Spotify Family plan, $15.99 a month, and allows you to have up to six people on the account. This plan can also be used with a large group of friends who want to share the cost together and get a large plan. 

I use my Spotify Premium account quite often and it is really convenient when I’m listening to music and doing other tasks like homework or chores at home. There are no advertisements between songs and I can choose which songs I want to listen to and some that I want to skip. I have multiple playlists for different occasions, studying, working out, or sleeping playlists. There are many different artists and genres of music to choose from but one complaint that I have is there are some songs from Asian artists that are not found on Spotify. There is a lot of Western music and artists, but not as much from Asian artists.

Youtube Music 

One of the major differences that Youtube Music has with other music streaming platforms is the option of watching the music video on the same app. Youtube Music took over the music streaming services of Google Play Music in 2020. 

Like Spotify, Youtube Music is also a freemium service. Users who do not have a paid subscription can listen to music with advertisements, but unlike Spotify, users can choose what songs to listen to. On the other hand, paid users can listen to music without the disruption of advertisements, listen to music in the background after closing the app on their phone, and download music to listen offline. Youtube Music can be found as an app on your phone, laptop, or you can access it as a webpage. 

Youtube Music is a music streaming service that is an extended service from Youtube that is specifically used for listening to music. You may be wondering what is the difference between a Youtube Premium subscription and a Youtube Music subscription. Both of these subscriptions are separate from each other and cost differently too. A Youtube Music subscription is a paid subscription for music streaming from the Youtube Music app. A Youtube Premium subscription is a paid service for watching videos on Youtube but also it extends to a Youtube Music subscription. 

Youtube Music has different subscription plans for different users too. The most basic, individual account is $9.99 a month and it allows you to listen to music ad-free, offline, and with your screen off. There is also a family plan that is $14.99 a month and there can be up to 6 people using the same plan and has the same privileges as the basic plan. The student plan is $4.99 a month but it needs to be verified with a student email. These are only the subscriptions for a Youtube Music subscription and are different from a Youtube Premium subscription. 

One of the major differences between Spotify and Youtube Music is the music video feature that Youtube Music offers. If you are on the app of Youtube Music, you can watch the music video while listening to the song. There are also the lyrics on verified artists’ songs if you want to learn the lyrics of a song while listening to it. While there are lyrics available for many western songs, many Asian songs do not have accurate lyrics or do not have lyrics available at all. Another feature of Youtube Music that I find very useful is the availability of covers of songs and live performances. One of the features that I find convenient is it takes your Youtube watch history into consideration and suggests music that could be from soundtracks of shows that you watch.

So is a Youtube Music subscription worth it or not? If you see yourself listening to a lot of music that is covered or live performances or the urge to learn lyrics of songs while you listen to them, then you may see it convenient to have a Youtube Music subscription. Also, if you think you want a Youtube Music subscription, it will be of more value to pay a few extra dollars for a Youtube Premium subscription too as it only costs $11.99 for an individual account, $17.99 for a family account, and $6.99 for a student account. 

Compared to Spotify, I find the functions and layout of Youtube Music to be more confusing and harder to use. The Spotify app and its functions are easier to use and are more self-explanatory. There are too many pop-ups and slide-up functions on Youtube Music that are inconvenient and bothersome. But one of the features I enjoy is the availability of live performances and covers of songs. 

Soundcloud

Soundcloud was one of the first music streaming apps I used. Its layout and functions have not changed much since I first started using it. Even though Soundcloud may not be as popular as Spotify or Youtube Music, but there are still many users who prefer the app. Unlike Spotify or Youtube Music, users can upload their own music and works there. 

Many starting musicians and artists have uploaded their first works on Soundcloud and have gotten popular and gotten to advance in their careers because of the popularity of their works on Soundcloud. Because anyone can upload their music and works on this music platform, there are a lot of unofficial tracks, covers, and live performances. 

Soundcloud has a web and app version for use on both desktop and mobile devices. Like other music streaming apps, users are able to use the app for free or pay for extra services. SoundCloud Go is $4.99 a month and allows users to have an ad-free listening experience and save unlimited tracks for offline listening. The other plan, SoundCloud Go+ is $9.99 a month and allows for ad-free streaming, save tracks for offline listening, full access for all the songs, mix songs within specific DJ apps, and high-quality audio. Soundcloud also has a subscription for music creators, Pro Unlimited and Repost by SoundCloud. These two plans allow for music creators to get the money from the number of plays on their music. 

Now, the question is a SoundCloud subscription worth it? It will depend on whether you prefer using SoundCloud as a music streaming service. If you like listening to new and different artists and music, and covers of songs, then a SoundCloud subscription may be perfect for you. But, if you want to listen to more mainstream music, then SoundCloud may not be perfect for you. If you are a music creator, Pro Unlimited or Repost by SoundCloud may be a subscription perfect for you in your music career. 

Apple Music 

Apply Music is a music streaming service that allows you to listen to music. Even though it may be an app from Apple, but the app is compatible with other devices like Android or Windows devices. I had recently started to use the app, and its functions are relatively simple and easy to use. Some of the features of Apple Music are the ability to download music and listen offline, lyrics in real time, listening on all your devices, and to create your own playlists, and much more. 

Even though Apple Music may have free features if you already have music that you have previously downloaded and bought from iTunes, but if you want to fully enjoy all the features of Apple Music, then you can choose a paid subscription. There are different plans for different usages. The student plan is $4.99 a month. An individual plan is $9.99 a month after a 3-month free trial. The family plan is $14.99 a month and it can be shared with up to five people. 

One of my favorite features of Apple Music is the organization of the app. I like how the music library separates your music into different genres. For example, if you wanted to just listen to K-pop, then you can search for your K-pop genre songs and just listen to those songs. Another feature of Apple Music I find really convenient is the feature of lyrics being in real-time. Many other music streaming apps have lyrics, but only mostly on western music. One of the things I noticed about Apple Music is that there are also lyrics for Asian songs. 

So is Apple Music worth it? Compared to Spotify, Apple Music has better organization within the app and the music library and the lyrics feature is also a lot more accurate and easier to access. The availability of music between Spotify and Apple Music is the same and the prices are also the same. If you are comfortable with using Spotify, then continue using it, but if you would rather prefer Apple Music, then use it. Both Spotify and Apple Music have really good features and are worth the money. 

If you like listening to music then consider choosing a music streaming service that fits your needs. If you like listening to covers, live performances, or young artists then consider SoundCloud or Youtube Music. If you enjoy listening to music on an app with a lot of features and are easy to use, consider Apple Music or Spotify. Paying for one music subscription should be able to fit your needs. Therefore, choose your favorite app and enjoy listening!