The world of music streaming has been dominated by two big players for years. Spotify is the name in the sphere, a service that popularized the whole concept of music streaming services. Then, there is Apple Music, the comfortable choice if you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem. Both of these are accessible, easy to use, and generally get their job done well enough.
That being said, what if you want something better than just good enough? There are many more music streaming services, and some of them offer a much better experience than the mainstream choices. What’s more, they’re also not as controversial as the choices above. Whether you want to get access to the best music quality possible, or you’re looking for a better way to support your favorite artists than the pittance they get from their Spotify streams, here are 3 music streaming services that you should consider switching to.
Tidal gets you the best of both worlds
Great audio quality first and foremost
I’ll be honest, Tidal has been my streaming app of choice for years now. The service is, there’s no other way of saying this, fantastic. It offers the biggest library of high-quality, lossless files that can get the best out of your audio setup at home. What’s even better is the pricing structure. Tidal offers just one subscription tier for $11/month, and everything the service has in store is included. It’s worth noting that this is a rather recent change which made the $20/month Hi-Fi tier obsolete by including all the lossless files in one, basic subscription. In the era of growing streaming prices, such a move is especially worth keeping in mind.
Tidal is not only about the file quality. It also offers a library of more than 110 million songs, one of the biggest in the streaming game. The app also includes music videos with the same attention to quality as the available music. There are custom mixes based on your listening history, as well as curated playlists that are an excellent way of discovering bands similar to the ones you’re already listening to, but that might’ve gone under your radar. It’s also worth noting that Tidal has an AI-generated content policy that not only requires the content to be clearly labeled as AI-generated, it also doesn’t pay royalties on these tracks, which is a huge win for the (real) music industry.
Finally, Tidal is also one of the best in the game when it comes to compensating artists for their work, a sentiment leftover from its inception as a Jay-Z-backed project. While Spotify, and Apple Music to a lesser degree, pay a pittance for a single stream, Tidal’s cut for artists is much bigger. The values are not set in stone, but on average Tidal offers a 5x bigger cut per stream than Spotify and around 3x bigger payout than Apple Music. So, you’re not only getting your music at the best possible quality, you’re also letting your favorite artists get much more money by using Tidal.
YouTube Music is surprisingly good (for certain uses)
And you’re probably already paying for it anyway
YouTube Music was never a streaming service I considered using. It has always sounded like a half-baked addition to YouTube. However, I’ve been paying for YouTube Premium for a few years now, as it’s unusable without the monthly payment. YouTube Music is included in that subscription, so I’ve decided to finally give it a try. Imagine my surprise when it quickly became my second streaming service of choice that offers something no other platform can.
The strength of YouTube Music is not in its sound quality, which is limited to quite compressed, lossy files. What makes it an excellent companion to your main streaming service is the library YouTube Music offers. To be more specific, using YouTube Music you have access to the whole YouTube library, along with all the live performances, covers, alternative tracks and many more that are simply unavailable anywhere else. Listening to things like KEXP live performances or Tiny Desk Concerts is an experience you won’t be able to get on any other streaming service.
Finally, one more thing to mention is YouTube’s mixes. Spotify is often quoted as the platform with the best playlists based on your listening history, but YouTube mixes are, at least in my experience, at least just as good. Mixes can be focused on your favorite artist with a sprinkle of something new here and there, but they can also offer a whole range of new music with just a few familiar pieces to keep you from feeling completely out of your depth. It’s a great system that respects both the days you’re ready to discover something new, and the moments you just need something comfortable that you know well.
Qobuz is the silent hero we all need
Stream, buy, and enjoy your music
Qobuz is a much less recognizable name out of all these music streaming services, but undeservingly so. Its focus is similar to Tidal’s, which means it’s dedicated to providing high-quality, lossless music files. And the library it offers is impressive, rivalling the number of songs you’ll find on any other big-name service.
However, the big thing that makes Qobuz worth your time is the ability to not only stream music, but also purchase it right in the app. In the era of subscriptions, this feature might seem archaic to some, but it’s also the only way to truly own the music you love, aside from purchasing physical copies. Qobuz lets you buy and download high-quality lossless files, which you can later play straight from the app, as well as copy onto your server and use freely outside the Qobuz service.
The service is also well-priced, starting at $13/month, which grants you full access to its library of hi-res content. More expensive plans let you get a discount on music purchases, so you can also tailor your experience to your needs. Speaking of tailoring the experience, Qobuz is also known for its UI customization, so you can make the app work exactly as you want it.
