Associated Press
Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Records gave way to 8-tracks, then cassette tapes succumbed to CDs. Now, digital downloads are poised to be the next casualty, as more listeners turn to streaming services for their music. More than 100 million people worldwide pay for music subscriptions; hundreds of millions more stream for free. And the numbers are growing quickly: Streaming accounted for 62 percent of retail music revenue during the first half of 2017, up from 51 percent in 2016 and just 34 percent in 2015, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. Physical products, such as records and CDs, accounted for 16 percent of retail revenue last year. With countless companies and artists clamoring to get a piece of the $4 billion-a-year pie, consumer options for streaming services are plentiful. Determining which service is right for you can depend on many factors, including your budget, your desire for customization and your other technology investments.
Streaming vs. downloading vs. internet radio
Downloading music, say from iTunes, means the file is transferred to and stored on your device. You don’t need to be connected to the internet to play a song, and you can transfer music to other devices.
When streaming music, you don’t own the tracks, and they can’t be downloaded or transferred. Some providers allow you to store a limited number of offline playlists, but all providers require an internet or mobile data connection to listen to the full catalog.
Internet radio is also different from streaming. Unlike streaming, with which you can choose a particular song or album to listen to—100 times in a row if you’d like—internet radio is simply a technologically smarter form of regular radio. You can curate your station to a degree by selecting artists you like and by up- or down-voting songs, but you typically cannot rewind, repeat or play songs on-demand. Popular internet radio services include iHeart Radio, Sirius and Pandora.
Spotify and Spotify Premium
Users: 140 million (60 million paid)
Songs: 30 million-plus
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: Family plan, student discount, free option with advertising available
Pros: Easy sharing features, content includes audiobooks, comedy, radio dramas, poetry and speeches, ability to follow artists for alerts
Cons: No live radio
Best for: People who enjoy making and sharing playlists
Google Play Music
Users: 10 million
Songs: 40 million
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: Family plan
Pros: Ability to store and stream personal collections plus any songs in the catalog, integrated with YouTube videos
Cons: Emphasizes recommended choices rather than new music finds
Best for: Google fans who want to integrate existing playlists with new music
Napster (formerly Rhapsody)
Users: 5 million
Songs: 30 million-plus
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: Family plan
Pros: Features a G-rated Kids Mode
Cons: Endless playback feature can be jarring
Best for: Those nostalgic for the piracy-based Napster
Pandora and Pandora Premium
Users: 81 million (paid and unpaid)
Songs: 40 million-plus
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: No discount, free option with advertising available
Pros: Places cover songs, karaoke versions and other renditions to the bottom of results lists; includes an “add similar songs” feature; simple minimalist look
Cons: Only select podcasts, no video
Best for: Those looking for a more personal streaming music service
Tidal
Users: 4 million
Songs: 46 million
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: Family plan, military discount, student discount
Pros: High-fidelity streaming, video content, focus on up-and-coming artists, feature-length articles
Cons: Busy interface, no free version, no lyrics, weak search function
Best for: Audiophiles and video fans
Amazon Prime Music
Users: 16 million
Songs: 2 million-plus
Cost: Free with Amazon Prime; $10.99/month for non-Prime members
Discounts/free options: N/A
Pros: Great value for long-term free service
Cons: Limited music library, lack of access to paid content can be frustrating
Best for: Prime members with a limited budget
Amazon Music Unlimited
Users: 16 million
Songs: "Tens of millions"
Cost: $7.99/month for Prime members $9.99/month for non-Prime members
Discounts/free options: Family plan, student discount
Pros: Integrated with the Alexa virtual assistant and Amazon Echo, includes curated playlists and artist commentaries
Cons: No live radio non-music content, no artist biographies
Best for: Amazon technology users
SoundCloud and SoundCloud Go+
Users: 175 million (paid and unpaid)
Songs: 120 million
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts or free option? No discount, free option with advertising available
Pros: Allows users to upload their own content, users can follow one another
Cons: Amount of content can be overwhelming, tracks can be hit or miss
Best for: Patient adventurers who want to discover new and emerging music and artists
Apple Music
Users: 30 million
Songs: 30 million
Cost: $9.99/month
Discounts/free options: Family plan, student discount
Pros: Easy integration of past iTunes purchases, exclusive releases, access to Apple’s Beats 1
Cons: Clunky navigation tool, no access to library from a Web browser, limited sharing options
Best for: iTunes users
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.
