In the era of free content, the music industry is still struggling to overcome the crisis that began to take shape with the proliferation of online downloads. We stopped paying for music, and that business as we knew it fell out of favor, especially for artists. Authors and producers see how their songs are on all streaming music platforms in exchange for little recognition and insignificant compensation.
For new creators, distributing your works has never been so easy. One click and your music is available to anyone, without waiting or contracts with large companies that control the entire process. But economically it is not profitable. Income derived from the distribution of music in digital format is minimalfor artists and also for streaming platforms.
Streaming music: in search of a real business
But while they agree with the record companies and seek an agreement for the equitable distribution of profits, services that allow free streaming music continue to appear. Almost all work with the same artists and the same albums, manage similar plans for subscribers and, for now, show a discreet interest in offering original content that encourages users to pay for something differentexclusive.
With everything, the business moves, and one of the last ones that has renewed its service is Amazon, with the incorporation of Amazon Prime Music to the list of products available for Amazon Prime customers in Spain.
Let’s take a look at the top 8 premium music streaming services of 2018:
1.Amazon Music
Actually, Prime Music is a variant of Unlimited, a free version of additional costs for which it offers a maximum of 40 hours of free streaming music per month. Users have two million songs, hundreds of playlists and stationsin addition to the option to download the songs you want to listen to them without ads and without an Internet connection.
It is a good alternative for those who use streaming occasionally. For everyone else there is another option: .
Amazon Music Unlimited keys:
- Payment service no free account mode, except for the initial 30-day trial. Once passed, to access its catalog of songs it is necessary to subscribe. The monthly plan costs 9.99 euros and the annual fee (only if you have contracted Amazon Prime) 99 euros. It also offers a family subscription for 14.99 euros per month or 149 per year for Prime customers. In both cases, it offers up to six accounts under the same subscription.
- Count with one catalog of 50 million themes available in more than 30 countries, making it the most extensive music streaming platform.
- Compatibility maximum, with iOS devices, Android devices, Windows computers and laptops, Mac, some car devices and Amazon’s own.
- recommendations: Following the company’s philosophy, Amazon Music’s suggestion algorithm is based, in part, on each user’s purchase history and the footprint left on the Internet shopping platform, even recommending songs or artists who listen to people who have bought the same thing as you.
- Radio and listen offline: Allows you to listen to ad-free song lists based on a certain artist or style of music. In addition, it allows you to enjoy the songs and albums that you have added to your personalized music list.
- Additional features: allows you to store up to 250 songs from the user’s personal library in the cloud but does not offer videos or other additional content except the lyrics of the songs.
2.Spotify
It is the benchmark music-on-demand service for the general public with 170 million monthly active users. It has closed the first quarter of the year with 75 million paying users. By the end of the year, it expects to reach between 92 and 96 million paying subscribers.
and its shares have fallen as much as 9%.
- Service free: free access to the entire platform catalog through Free, in exchange for advertising. In addition to the ads between songs, the audio is of lower quality and does not offer the possibility of downloading music to listen to it when you do not have an Internet connection.
- Payment service: through the Premium account. Offers a free trial month. The price of the monthly subscription is 9.99 euros. It has a family plan for a maximum of six users for 14.99 euros per month and a special subscription for students for 4.99. Spotify does not offer annual fees but allows high-quality music downloads.
- Catalogue: It is available in almost 60 countries and offers a catalog of more than 30 million songs, without video option.
- Compatible with any type of device: smartphone, tablet, desktop and laptop, both iOS and Android, Windows or Mac; , some consoles, and car devices.
- recommendations: One of the strong points of the platform is the ‘Discover’ function for you to find artists, albums and songs that you like and expand your favorite lists. The option offers two hours of streaming music with the most listened to songs of the week adapted to the tastes of each user, but in addition, it makes recommendations depending on the day of the week or the time of day, it even offers playlists that include music to accompany different moods. Another possibility is to try ‘Related Artists’ to discover new artists that may fit your tastes.
- Radio: offers several stations based on the personal tastes of each user (songs, artists, styles) but also its own stations presented by artists with whom it has signed exclusive contracts.
- Additional features: Many users appreciate being able to share playlists and songs on . More interesting, although residual, is the old commitment to include their own content through podcasts and videos with third-party programs, sometimes exclusively. A practically abandoned growth path.
3.Apple Music
It was born in 2015, when Spotify shone the most, with the aim of overshadowing the Swedish platform. In all this time, it has managed to surpass the company founded by Daniel Ek in the number of songs available, in exclusive content but (yet) not in subscribers. Those of are all payment, 36 million.
In fact, if he maintains the ascending line he has shown so far, this summer he hopes to catch up with his greatest rival in the United States.
- Is a payment platform: offers three free trial months but from then on you have to opt for an individual monthly subscription, it is 9.99 euros; an annual plan, which costs 99 euros; a family rate, for 14.99; or for a subscription for students for 4.99 euros per month.
- Catalogue: it has one of the most complete catalogs not only because of the number of songs available, 45 million, but also because it also offers its users a catalog of videos, which artists take advantage of to premiere or exclusively distribute new content.
- It is compatible with iOS and Android, Mac and PC. You can use Apple Music from any device: iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android phone, or Apple TV; Keep the music you’ve purchased from iTunes and music you choose to keep from other media.
- Suggestions: You can create playlists, mark your favorites and search for the style of music you like the most. Plus, it’s easy to discover new music, the latest hits, and access playlists, songs, and artists tailored to your preferences through the ‘For You’ option, with personalized content by genre, mood, or activity.
- Radio: You can listen to radio stations according to their musical genre or create your own, personalized ones, based on the albums and music you like. If you prefer, you can enjoy the Beats 1 station, an international radio channel available 24/7, available to both subscribers and the general public; only that subscribers can access programs on demand.
- listen offline: allows you to download free music, add that content to your library and listen to it whenever you want.
- Additional features: Help artists create content in exchange for scoops, an option that allows musicians to share music videos and photos exclusively with their fans.
4.Deezer
This streaming music platform is present in more than 182 countries. In theory, it is accessible to everyone, but in practice it only has 10 million paying subscribers.
- Is a app free that gives access to the entire catalog of songs at no cost but with ads and reduced audio quality. The paid version it eliminates advertising, improves the usability and quality of the tracks, in addition to offering different rates: the monthly subscription costs 9.99 euros and the family subscription costs 14.99 euros per month. It does not have an annual subscription, but it does have a 30-day free trial in the Premium mode.
- Catalogue: offers more than 43 million songs of all styles, genres and artists.
- It is compatible with iOS and Android, Sonos system, smart TV, car devices and other multimedia systems.
- Suggestions: through the ‘Recommendations’ menu, automatically add songs and albums by artists that you usually listen to or that you have marked as favorites, as well as others that users with similar tastes usually listen to. With the ‘Similar Artists’ option you can explore and discover new artists related to your favorites.
- Radio: includes thematic radio stations, stations dedicated to a certain artist and others specialized by styles.
- listen offline: The free version does not offer the option to download music to listen to when you are already offline. The Premium+ version, yes, allows you to sync albums and playlists with your devices to enjoy them without an Internet connection.
- Additional features: It has complementary apps to get lyrics and scores. In addition, it offers the option to share playlists on social networks.
5.Google Play Music
The streaming music platform of the giant Google is another one that seeks to dispute users with a service that allows you listen to your favorite music collection on any device and from anywhere.
- It’s a payment service after 30 days free trial. The monthly subscription costs 9.99 euros and does not offer an annual subscription, only a family rate that equals the price of its competitors: 14.99 euros.
- Count with one Catalogue of more than 40 million songs.
- It is compatible with Android, iOS and web.
- recommendations: Create a list of suggestions based on what you hear, but also allows you to generate a list of recommendations based on a specific topic.
- Radio and listen offline: Google Play Music offers you a free radio with ads that adapts to what you are doing, how you feel or what you want to listen to, but also allows you to listen to stations inspired by songs, artists, albums, styles, moods , activities or decades…