Although we all adore using vinyl records, streaming services are becoming the most common way that people listen to music, for better or for worse. Which, though, are the best?
With more than 350 million users and 150 million subscriptions, Spotify is expected to be the top streaming service in 2024. While Spotify does, of course, have amazing features—a huge, always changing library of music and podcasts, precise music recommendation tools, Spotify Wrapped, and even an AI DJ—many have turned to other services due to its average royalty rate of $0.004 per stream, regular layoffs, and CEO mistakes.
Recall that Spotify is only one streaming service among many others. There are unique features of each big platform that may entice you to switch. You might not share Spotify’s moral compass. Maybe you wish to get in closer contact with your favourite musicians. Perhaps you simply get bored listening to music in the same way. For any reason, we can expose you to certain lesser-known providers that provide special advantages because we have researched and studied the variations between other streaming services.
The Bandcamp:
Trust me, even if it sounds obvious and some may consider it outdated, buy music if you enjoy it and can afford to. By far the best method to help artists in 2024.
Part of the reason Bandcamp is an online music store and refuge for independent musicians is because of its Bandcamp Friday program, which pays artists 100% of their royalties once a month.
Though you can only listen to songs in full three times until you’ve purchased it, you can also stream tracks online or on its app. Also really good are the radio broadcasts; I just wish there were more of them.
With a great, often updated editorial section that highlights fresh, interesting music, Bandcamp also places a strong emphasis on discovering new music. You might be inspired to discover music you would never have heard of by the real-time carousel on the main page that displays what releases are being bought worldwide.
Best parts are these ones. Pay for royalties is really high. Over 82% of the royalty payment goes to the artist. They support MP3, WAV, and a couple other audio formats, and there is no membership fee.
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Apple Music:
Right up there as one of the most popular music streaming services in 2024, Apple Music is a great substitute for Spotify because of its higher audio quality and royalty rate ($0.01 as opposed to $0.003–$0.005).
Dolby Atmos-supported lossless and spatial audio are its specialties. It has teamed up with Boiler Room to provide immersive live DJ performances. Many customers also give Apple Music high marks for its user-friendly playlisting and library-organizing tools.
You get a huge music library at $11 a month that beats all other big platforms. You also have access to every one of Apple Music’s unique, frequently fantastic podcasts and radio shows, like We Can Do Hard Things, The Joe Rogan Experience, and a tonne more.
There is no membership charge and the artist is paid $0.01 for each stream.
Qobuz:
For ardent music lovers looking for the atmosphere of a record store when discovering new music, Qobuz is a strong competitor to Spotify.
With an emphasis more on jazz and classical music, this premium music streaming service takes great satisfaction in its Qobuz Club, exclusive editorial content, and high-fidelity audio listening. The latter is a discussion and sharing music platform modeled after social media.
Along with offering online listening, Qobuz is a business that sells or downloads high-resolution digital files.
The nicest bits are here. Better than Apple is the $0.04 royalty payment per stream. There are two subscriptions available; the studio and sublime plans run you about ten and fifteen pounds, respectively.
SoundCloud:
After debuting as a music-sharing site in 2007, SoundCloud evolved into a standalone streaming service. Easily publish, promote, and share your music and DJ mixes on the site to directly reach international audiences and interact with them via comments and a message box.
As a result, SoundCloud has amassed a committed following of producers, listeners, and—above all—rappers, giving rise to the SoundCloud rap subgenre in and around 2016.
Without label backing, SoundCloud gives independent musicians greater freedom to present their work and interact with fans than Spotify does. Instead of pooling up listens with big artists, SoundCloud has had a fan-powered royalties model since 2021 that pays artists according to the actual listening patterns of their fans.
The artist royalty is far lower than that of the service providers listed above. Each stream pays out anywhere from $0.0025 to $0.004. They offer two subscriptions, SoundcloudGo and Go+, which cost between five and ten pounds, and a free membership in which they show adverts. And Go+ and Go differ not all that much.
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Beatport:
Dedicated to electronic music only, Beatport is a 2004-founded digital music retailer. Beatport offers specialised subgenres from every genre, including drum ‘n’ bass, house, garage, techno, trap, amapiano, and more, all housed in an extensive and diversified EDM-centered collection.
Beatport stepped into streaming in 2023 when it introduced Beatport Streaming. It gives subscribers access to every song in the Beatport collection for phone or web browser streaming.
When Beatport’s StreamingDirectPlay is included into contemporary DJ decks, like the Pioneer CDJ-3000, you may access Beatport’s collection straight from the decks without a USB stick or, because of its offline streaming capabilities, Wi-Fi.
DJs that would rather find and be motivated by new music while on the go can use the iOS and Android app.
One of the greatest bonuses an artist can get. They offer no free options, thus the membership is required and the payout rate is about $0.10 per stream. You can pay between $10 and $16 a month for the Essential and Advanced options of the subscription.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, there are other options that meet the various demands and interests of users even if Spotify is still a popular option for music streaming. While Qobuz provides high-fidelity audio and exclusive editorial material, Bandcamp, for example, allows customers to buy the music of artists directly, therefore supporting them.
While Beatport is a big and varied electronic music collection, SoundCloud is a community-driven platform that lets independent musicians display their work and interact with listeners. Conversely, Apple Music provides lossless music together with special podcasts and radio shows. Strong competitors in the music streaming market, each of these options offers special features and advantages.