Listening to your favorite songs over the internet is not only suitable and prevalent, however it can also sound great. It is becoming increasingly common for video services to offer spatial Dolby Atmos audio and lossless. With a variety of available music services, how can you decide which one to choose?
When looking for a new music service provider – enthused by advances, including Joe Rogan versus Neil Young, for instance – monthly costs and compatibility should be your primary factors. Despite stable pricing, most of the services cost up to $10 for a month, but there have been some immense variations recently, together with offering lossless audio for free. Over 60 million songs are available with most of the services, so you will not run into any problems there. Majority of the services give you the option to stream from your computer, phone or speaker, but some do this better than others.
Though streaming clearly has a distinct advantage over television for many people still love the element of surprise and wait for their favorite song to come on TV. If you are one of those people who are only considering streaming to save money, there are ways to get that done. Many providers offer affordable packages. For instance, the Spectrum channel lineup can give you the option to make a watch list of your favorite channels to keep you entertained with fresh titles and programming. The best part is that it offers compatible viewing across a variety of smart devices.
And, those who have made their mind about streaming services for music, below are the top music streaming services to consider in 2022.
- Spotify
The most famous music streaming service is Spotify, a pioneer in the field. With its Discover Weekly playlist and Stations feature, it offers a variety of curated music discovery services. Additionally, it has leveraged its podcasting capability with a push toward non-music content, which has led to the departure of folk-rock legend Neil Young from the service. Spotify chose to stay with Joe Rogan based on his tolerance for misinformation about the Coronavirus vaccine. Young had told Spotify that “it’s me or Joe Rogan.”
When choosing a streaming service, Apple Music and Spotify Premium are in a close race, but Spotify is the best overall. This is due to a simple interface, a comprehensive catalog, and the widest range of devices compatible. You can stream Spotify Connect to numerous Wi-Fi devices for free without paying a penny or supplying a credit card number.
There is no word yet on when Spotify will launch its new HiFi (lossless) tier, which was supposed to launch in late 2021. However, rival services like Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music Unlimited now offer lossless or even Dolby Atmos audio for free. Spotify also raised prices on a number of plans in 2021, although the base price remained around $10 in the US.
- Tidal
With a new free tier, called, naturally, Tidal Free, Tidal, now owned in part by Jack Dorsey’s Block, has recently changed its business model. Tidal has also introduced Tidal HiFi, which offers lossless playback, and Tidal HiFi Plus, a higher-tiered plan for up to $20.
With Tidal HiFi Plus now offering hi-res and Dolby Atmos mixes, it may be the most expensive service out there, but it has another good reason for that. In the past, Tidal’s primary selling point has been that its higher subscription prices translate into better paybacks for artists.
Qobuz has surpassed Tidal as the best option for audiophiles with arguably better sound quality, a lower price and an improved catalog in the past few months. Based on my personal experience, Tidal still beats it in the breadth department — and it now has over 80 million songs, including Metallica. Tidal would be a good choice for audiophiles, urban music lovers, or those who enjoy both.
- Apple Music
Apple Music has fewer subscribers than Spotify, but it outperforms it in a couple key areas. The app is easy to use, offers over ninety million songs, and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. There are no extra charges for the spatial audio albums, but this 1,000-track catalog pales in comparison to what is offered elsewhere.
If you are heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music is an obvious choice. Using your voice to summon music is the default subscription service for Apple HomePod and Apple Mini. Aside from making an iPod Touch an ideal companion, Apple Music also complements the 20-year-old iPod Touch. A lot of playlists are curated by tastemakers and musicians, but the sharing options aren’t as robust as those on Spotify.
- Qobuz
In contrast to Tidal, Qobuz has high-resolution audio streams you can listen to without requiring a specific MQA decoder. A high-end system or an Android phone can sound amazing with these tracks. The library of tracks on other services may not be as impressive, but it does not offer Dolby Atmos music.
It offers 2 plans — the annual Sublime Plus and the monthly Studio Premier. With its own hi-res download store, the service offers a discount when you sign up for the second plan.
Qobuz’s catalog of streaming tracks is comparable to Tidal’s and Spotify’s in terms of size, although its artists may not be the most ambiguous. In general, Qobuz tends to focus on high-resolution recordings, so it is best appropriate to jazz or classical music fans, though it has a fairly broad selection of rock music as well. One of our favorite services for serious music lovers is Qobuz, since it offers better pricing than Tidal, and does not need a special DAC to listen at 24-bit/192Hz.
Conclusion
If you have a fast and stable internet connection or are living in a developed part of the world where the internet is accepted as a way of life, you will not face any problems in music streaming. However, if you are from a location where streaming is not the best option in the light of faulty internet connectivity then you need to figure out downloading alternatives like RARBG proxy.
With a streaming service, you can watch like you would with a cable subscription, while avoiding the dead weight that comes with it.
You do not need to sign a contract, and if you do not like the service, you can easily switch. No matter what you are looking for, from a basic package such as Sling TV to a deluxe experience such as YouTube TV, you should be able to find a streaming TV service that fits your needs. We hope this article helps you choose according to your demands.
