Music streaming feels essential these days. While buying tracks from storefronts like Google Play Music or iTunes is still an option, music streaming is an affordable way to score a pass to an all-you-can-listen buffet. There are countless options out there for you to choose from, ranging from giants like Spotify and Apple down to smaller companies like Tidal and Deezer, each with their own pricing and features to try to win over your monthly payment.
Believe it or not, next month will mark the five year anniversary of the announcement of YouTube Music’s current form. The platform, which eventually took over for Google Play Music entirely, has come a long way. Following a launch filled with missing features, Google has slowly but surely caught up to both its previous service and its main rivals — even this week, the company added a lyrics feature already available on Spotify.
That occasion also happened to be the last time we asked readers which music streaming service they used, which seems far too long considering the current state of the market. Spotify has gone all in on podcasts, a TikTok-style home screen, and AI-powered DJs — in some ways, it’s lost the plot. Apple’s streaming service, which does offer a usable (albeit far from excellent) Android app, has focused on lossless quality and spatial audio, to mixed effect. Amazon Music ended up lowering the price of its own hi-fi service in response to Apple, and remains the only place you can listen to quintessential Garth Brooks’ banger, “Friends in Low Places.”
These four platforms — YouTube Music, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music — are far from the only competition around, but they do feel like the pillars of the industry. So, which are you subscribed to? Personally, I’m still on Spotify, the platform I moved to after Google Play Music died, but I wouldn’t describe myself as happy with it. I also have subscriptions to YouTube Music (through Premium) and Apple Music (through my phone plan), but haven’t found either impressive enough to go through the effort of moving my library.
I’ve opened this up to multiple choice — I’d be hypocritical if I didn’t — but kept it to these four main choices to keep things simple. Five years ago, Google Play Music (alongside the forthcoming YouTube Music) absolutely swept the competition, with only Spotify managing to get close. I’m curious to see if that’s changed, and if it has, in which direction.
