Streaming Music Services: Which One is Right for You?
Streaming music services offer unlimited access to millions of songs with playlists customized to your personal tastes. Most services offer a free listening option with intermittent ads, but for a fee, some services allow you to store ad-free music offline to play on multiple devices in your home. Although you don’t own the music, the monthly subscription cost is typically less than the price of one album.
So which streaming music service is for you? Let’s break down our top picks.
Pandora
A great choice for enthusiasts of radio-style playlists based on your favorite songs, artists, or genres, Pandora offers custom radio stations with a library of 30 million songs, all for free with occasional ads. With Pandora Plus ($4.99/month), you can enjoy unlimited, ad-free, personalized stations with even higher quality audio and play up to four stations offline. A premium subscription ($9.99/month) includes the ability to play and download any song you want for offline listening. This service is available on smart and IoT devices as well as some audio equipment.
Why Pandora? It’s one of the original internet radios, which is ideal if you’re looking for new music to add to your playlist. Also, if you’re cost-conscious, Pandora Plus is the least expensive option on this list.
Spotify
With a catalog of 30 million songs, Spotify allows you to create your own collection of music, so you choose the exact song you want to listen to. Like Pandora, you can also set up personalized radio stations and stream through a diverse range of smart home devices. Plus, it’s free! For $9.99 per month, however, you can download music to play anywhere, listen without commercials, and skip as many songs as you want.
Why Spotify? Even with the free version, you can choose to listen to any song you want at any time. Spotify also boasts podcasts and video content, so it’s one of the most versatile players in the game.
Amazon Music
Amazon Prime members get free access to 2 million songs through Prime Music—but as with almost any free service, there are plenty of unwanted ads. Upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for ad-free, instant access to 50 million songs, handpicked playlists, and personalized radio stations for $9.99/month. Amazon Prime members pay only $7.99/month on top of the Prime membership subscription. Listen on any compatible Amazon Music device.
Why Amazon Music? With access to up to 50 million songs, Amazon Music has one of the largest collections of songs anywhere. If you’re already an Amazon Prime member, this is your best bet.
Google Play Music
If you own an Android device, then you can access Google Play Music as a limited, free subscription. Personalize radio stations and store up to 50,000 pre-owned songs at no charge. Upgrade to $9.99 per month subscription for ad-free access to even more songs—35 million! The subscription also allows you to download songs offline and access them via YouTube Music Premium.
Why Google Play Music? If you’re an Android user, this service is likely already on your device, but the best part is that a paid subscription also eliminates all of those pesky ads on YouTube.
Apple Music
Likewise, if you own an Apple device, Apple Music may be included as a limited, free subscription. If not, you can sign up for a free three-month trial. Upgrade to $9.99 per month to stream 50 million songs and music videos ad-free on your Apple devices and download songs for offline enjoyment.
Why Apple Music? According to 2018 data by Statista, it’s the most popular service, with nearly 50 million users in the U.S. alone. We recommend Apple Music if you plan to play music on your iOS devices.
These streaming music services provide low-cost options for listening to countless songs and playlists. As long as you have fast and reliable internet from Endeavor Communications, these services will always have something great to listen to. Just sit back, relax, and play your favorite tunes from classical to hip-hop on an array of smart home devices.