Best Music Streaming Service?

[ISiddiqui]

So... I've been using the free Spotify (dealing with ads and all), but a friend of mine was indicating how much better the paid version was, and $10 a month isn't all that bad. I haven't really considered it, but since my car's CD player went kaput, it's been intriguing (I've been using Google Play Music's free tier to play my own music over bluetooth in the car).

In addition, I have an iPad, which apparently allowed me to 3 months free of Apple Music (I immediately turned off any auto-renewal). So I probably won't be purchasing any paid streaming service until that ends... in November (though that doesn't necessarily do anything, re: car).

I think after that 3 month period, I may want to consider a music streaming service. I don't really want Apple Music... I have 1 iPad and everything else I got is Android or Windows. Also, the less I have to deal with the monstrosity that is iTunes the better.

So it comes down to Spotify vs. Google Play Music. Spotify has a pretty nice desktop app, but Google Play has a better mobile app. Spotify seems to be better in the 'social' aspects. Google Play seems to have more interesting playlists (seemingly due to their acquisition of Songza).

So any of you have either? or both? What's the verdict?

[Young Drachma]

Rdio works great for discovery, there's a decent community and lots of options. Spotify has a larger catalog and easy facebook integration so sharing with friends is easier. I have both and have for a few years. Mobile apps work okay both have flaws, but coupled with TuneIn Radio are my car music apps of choice.

[Butter]

Spotify is pretty good, but I am not a huge fan of their interface.

[Fidatelo]

I like Google Play Music. The only thing that frustrates me is that some artists only seem to have partial catalogs available. They will have made say 10 albums but for some reason only 7 of them, seemingly at random, will be on there. And of course some big artists like Taylor Swift and Dr. Dre have been douchey and only put their latest releases on Apple.

[Critch]

I'd say Spotify is the best. I'd been happily using free for a long time, but a few months free trial of the paid version has spoiled me and I cant go back to free, but I'm also too cheap to pay $10 per month.

I'm now onto Amazon Prime Music. The selection is no where near as extensive as Spotify, the android app crashes occasionally, but if you already have an Amazon Prime subscription it's worth checking out.

[ISiddiqui]

Oh yeah, I already have Amazon Prime. Their app is kind of crap, but free music to add on to something I get for shipping is very nice.

The other thing I forgot to mention about Google Play Music is you get Youtube Key as well with - no Youtube ads is a great plus.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm all about the Spotify for this sort of thing although the constant (several times a week sometimes) "updates" of the app -- both mobile & desktop -- are purely annoying. I've come to suspect that most of the updates are really just them adding new ads to the cache (you still see the visual ads even with the $10/month version).

I think music style/preference plays heavily into which service. If you're into hits primarily then I'm not sure there's a ton of difference but for me Spotify wins out by having between 80-90 percent consistently of the current songs I'm looking for at any given moment. I've watched fairly closely for a couple of years now, that's a really high number for availability IMO.

[ISiddiqui]

It seems that most of the streaming sites have a good number of songs. I guess what sets them apart is their "radio" functions. Or song finding algorithms - it seems that's the big thing that sets them apart (well, and interface). Is there is a big difference in finding the current songs you are looking for in Spotify compared to the others?

[Easy Mac]

I've got paid Spotify. Never seen an ad on it. Works great for me. Haven't switched to anything else because I have so many playlists I don't feel like migrating.

Wish I could retry Google for a few months, if only do I could listen to albums I uploaded asking with the service's streaming selection (i.e. The Beatles and a few other albums that aren't licensed for streaming)

[JonInMiddleGA]

It seems that most of the streaming sites have a good number of songs. I guess what sets them apart is their "radio" functions. Or song finding algorithms - it seems that's the big thing that sets them apart (well, and interface). Is there is a big difference in finding the current songs you are looking for in Spotify compared to the others?

Couldn't say very well, I've rarely used it for that purpose. My playlists -- from the weekly top 40 for currents to the over 2,000 song master list -- are all completely hand selected.

On the occasions I've used their version of "radio" I found it to be okay, about as good as any other I suppose, I'm just very selective & have a very low tolerance for stuff that's just no more than "okay, I guess".

[britrock88]

I'm in camp Spotify--library is important, their discovery stuff is improving (weekly personalized playlists!), and I don't even mind the ads.

[Young Drachma]

The radio feature on Rdio works better for me than on Spotify, but it probably has to learn your style. And Jon's point is 100% right, it really depends on your taste to determine which makes the most sense. Spotify is going to have a good treasure trove of classic and older stuff.

[Easy Mac]

I've found Slacker to be the best radio as far as playing things I know I'll want to hear. Pandora is good for getting a few random songs mixed in, but I've found I don't like 99% of the similar songs they mix in. Spotify's radio is atrocious, Google music's includes too many cover songs for bands they don't have rights to.

[revrew]

I don't typically want a music service to "find" music for me (although I do use Pandora for that when I'm feeling in the mood). I want to be able to pick the songs I want on a series of playlists and play my "radio station" without some stupid algorithm thinking I like some other dumb song. I'm very picky that way.

Which is why Grooveshark is AWESOME!!! ... oh, wait. They shut that down.

Now I use Spotify. Which is not Grooveshark.

I miss Grooveshark :(

[ISiddiqui]

I've found Slacker to be the best radio as far as playing things I know I'll want to hear. Pandora is good for getting a few random songs mixed in, but I've found I don't like 99% of the similar songs they mix in. Spotify's radio is atrocious, Google music's includes too many cover songs for bands they don't have rights to.

Good to know.

I'd generally want something to be good on the radio aspect as well as picking a new album that I want to listen to aspect. So I'm not sure that Slacker or Pandora would necessarily work.

I've heard the Discover Weekly playlists by Spotify are pretty good. And some of the Google Play Songza style playlists are decent. I guess I may have to try both of them out during the free trial month after the Apple Music free 3 months run out and then pick one..

[MikeVic]

I've used free Slacker, Spotify (and paid), Google Music (and paid), and 8tracks.

I found them all decent and really don't know which one to continue paying for. I need the offline download functionality, so I'll have to pay for one again soon. So I'm reading this thread closely to see if anyone points out something I may have missed about one of the apps and nudges me to pay for one over the other.

One thing I think I have noticed is that Spotify was better about updating the playlists I followed and downloaded for offline listening, or at least it let me know better about what it was updating... I can't quite figure out if Google Music is doing the same for stations I've downloaded offline... or if they just rarely update the station playlists?

[AENeuman]

Funny, but I guess I'll be the first and say I really like Apple Music.

If all you want is to hear your stuff that you own it's not worth it.

I mostly want to hear a good variety from stuff I own (and play) and stuff that is similar to what I own. I really like their suggested playlists and their radio has dramatically improved in the last month.

I could be wrong, but I assume Apple Music is getting better because it is getting more data/feedback.

[Scoobz0202]

I have used Google Music ever since it was released so comfort may definitely play a part, but after using Apple Music for a month or so I still definitely prefer Google's take on it. A lot of it is definitely subjective, surely.

When I added all the music I had saved on Google Music there were no missing artists, but a handful of artists were missing an album here and there.

I prefer Google Music's simple UI more so than Apple's UI. I don't really own any music so all I really do is listen to playlists, radio, and save albums of artists I like. I have used Google for a year so I am very familiar with it, but I never really had to think "Where would this be" when I started using it. At times I find Apple's UI needlessly complex. Simple things, too, like I added a song that I apparently previously had an it created a duplicate in my saved library. Probably a bug, but it shouldn't have let me add it if it was already there. I feel like Apple's UI is trying to cram everything in there and as a result some things take one or two too many steps that I don't have to do on Google.

I have yet to really dive into Apple's playlists, but I really like Google's. The curated ones that I have seen on Apple were pretty good, but may only have 10 or so songs. Most of those are probably designed that way, to give you an introduction to a style or artist, but for my usage that is not what I really prefer as I tend to use playlists when I am doing an extended listening session so I like being able to just hit play and go. I have yet to really dive into their computer driven playlists, though, but one thing I didn't like when I tried them was only being able to see one or two upcoming songs, IIRC.

Beats 1 seems cool, I guess, but I don't feel like it's groundbreaking like Apple makes it out to be. One station for all genres I really don't feel like is a great idea. The handful of times I have turned to it I only really last like 1 or 2 songs before I am off it because of a style/song I don't really care for. Way to pop music heavy from the few times I have listened to it, also, but again, another completely subjective thing. I know a couple people in real life who listen to nothing but Beats 1 while at work.

Not really concise thoughts here and more of a ramble, but maybe with time it will be better for me, but I'm not sure if I am willing to wait. My free trial runs out in a month and in that time I will probably just cancel and continue with my Google Play. If it is better in 4 or 5 months it will have been too late for me, I guess.

[Izulde]

I still like Pandora best. I'm lazy - I just want to seed a station, and have it evolve from there with a variety of artists and songs based on my like/hate list. Spotify and Slacker didn't really see geared to that when I tried them.

[ISiddiqui]

Actually you can do a Pandora like thing with Spotify. It's under 'radio'. (and in Google Play Music as well)

[lighthousekeeper]

SHAMELESS PLUG TIME:

Here's my band's album on various music streaming services:
Spotify: The Spirit Is Gone by Six Sigma on Spotify (http://spoti.fi/1IC5WXv)
Apple Music: iTunes - Music - The Spirit Is Gone by Six Sigma (http://apple.co/1IYnWYz)
Amazon MP3: Amazon.com: The Spirit Is Gone: Six Sigma: MP3 Downloads (http://amzn.to/1H2vwAt)
Google Play: Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Six_Sigma_The_Spirit_Is_Gone?id=B7yrafgkqksvdnkzodlnt37aupy&hl=en)

[Groundhog]

I started using Spotify a little while ago and I stopped listening to music stored on my devices pretty damn quickly. I listen to a lot of strange and old music, and it's surprising how much of it is actually on Spotify.

Agree with Jon re: the annoying frequency of updates, but I don't see any reason to switch to Apple/Google.

I am a bit annoyed at 'exclusive' releases on the different services, though. I don't want music to turn into a 'console war'.

[BigDPW]

I have been using rhapsody for about 4 years (stream to work, whole home audio, in the car, on the boat) works great. I haven't tried the others because I have been satisfied. The selection is excellent the only two artists I haven't been able to stream are Garth brooks and bob segar that I have found. Pretty sure Garth doesn't stream anywhere and I have his music on cd anyway.

Have contemplated changing a time or two but have a ton of playlist and would hate to rebuild them.

[ISiddiqui]

I am a bit annoyed at 'exclusive' releases on the different services, though. I don't want music to turn into a 'console war'.

Yeah, there has been that fear lately. Especially with TIDAL and Apple Music having their own exclusives lately.

[sabotai]

SHAMELESS PLUG TIME:

Do you get any money from these?

[ISiddiqui]

Speaking of console war of streaming, it seems Spotify may be the victim of it's "free tier":

Dr. Dre's 'Compton' makes its way to Google Music, Rdio and others (http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/21/dr-dre-compton-rdio-tidal-google-music//?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi)

Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre is now streaming from the likes of Google Play, Deezer, Tidal, Rdio and Rhapsody based on our quick look through music services. It's still absent from Spotify, though, perhaps due to its free tier that many artists aren't too thrilled about.

Prince also pulled his stuff from Spotify because of the free tier:
Prince removes his music catalog from streaming services (http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/02/prince-removes-music-spotify-rdio-deezer/)

Actually may make Google Play Music a better option at this point in time.

[lighthousekeeper]

Do you get any money from these?

yes, minus the cut the distributor takes (e.g. 30% in the case of Apple)

[lighthousekeeper]

new entry into the market: Baboom, from Kim Dot Com

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6671128/baboom-hopes-to-be-a-lot-more-and-less-than-another-streaming-service

[ISiddiqui]

yes, minus the cut the distributor takes (e.g. 30% in the case of Apple)

Which one has the best cut for you (and by extension all artists)?

[lighthousekeeper]

Which one has the best cut for you (and by extension all artists)?

Most major platforms pay 70% (iTunes, Rhapsody, Google Play, XBox Live) Amazon MP3 is 63%. New Baboom is 70-90%, depending on the account type.

Bandcamp pays the best for independent artists (85-90%).

[ISiddiqui]

You didn't mention Spotify - is it also 70%?

(I'd rather pay artists more if I can help it if I subscribe to a streaming service)

[lighthousekeeper]

You didn't mention Spotify - is it also 70%?

(I'd rather pay artists more if I can help it if I subscribe to a streaming service)

Spotify pays the least, but that's because of its different nature. (More similar to radio plays than direct track downloads). Sources estimate that they pay an effective rate of <$0.01 per song play.

Spotify is a subscription based music service that does not (currently) offer the sale of digital downloads. All content on Spotify is streamed over the internet to their paid subscribers. Spotify pays out a perportionate share of the subscription income that they receive from their customers to the artists and labels whose content they stream. This share of income changes every month and depends on a multiple of factors such as Spotify's total subscription income from their subscribers, the subscription tier of each subscriber, the total number of streams that take place in Spotify in a given month, and the total number of an Artist's or Label's content streams in their store in a given month. Because these factors change each month, there is not a specific amount per stream that can be stated.

[ISiddiqui]

Hmm... does Google Play and Apple Music pay similar for streaming plays?

[lighthousekeeper]

not sure exactly. but according to this article, for streaming, google play pays the best, and spotify the worst (this was pre-iMusic)

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/03/how-much-musicians-make-spotify-itunes-youtube

[ISiddiqui]

I think I heard that somewhere as well... it may make my decision for Google Play Music.

Also, IIRC, Apple Music is basically a (major) restructuring of the Beats service, so likely pays out similar.

[stevew]

No ads on YouTube at all with Google play? Very interesting

[JonInMiddleGA]

No ads on YouTube at all with Google play? Very interesting

No ads on YT with AdBlocker installed either (at least on PC)

[stevew]

I basically only use my phone now.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I basically only use my phone now.

And I've watched maybe 3-4 YT videos total on my phone in over a year (despite watching literally hundreds, if not thousands, in that same time)