Articles

10 Best Online Digital Music Stores & Streaming Platforms

In a world where everything is rapidly going digital, music is certainly not taking the backseat, as several music streaming platforms were birthed to keep music readily available to consumers at all times.

Music listening has come a long way over the past few decades. Gone are the days when you had to buy CDs, vinyl records, or cassette tapes. You don’t even have to purchase digital downloads anymore. These days, you can sign up to a music streaming service and have on-demand access to all the music you’ll ever need on a device that sits in your pocket.

Of course, there are quite a few music streaming services out there, and they’re all a little different. Because of that, it can be hard to find a perfect service for your needs. So it’s worth considering a few things when deciding which music service to get.

You’ll also want to consider things like streaming audio quality and support for extra features, like digital assistants, music videos, lyrics, playlist sharing, and more.

We rounded up the best music streaming services you can subscribe to with all those factors in mind. Our picks feature a variety of options, including several services that offer lossless audio and a couple that offer free ad-supported plans.

10. QOBUZ

Qobuz is a streaming and download service first founded in France in 2007. Like other streaming platforms, this is a subscription service paid through monthly payments. The subscription is a family option that allows users to pay one price for 6 accounts within one household.

9. LIVEXLIVE

LiveXLive is the first music streaming platform that streams festivals and concerts and original music and artist content. The service has had over 1,800 live artists’ performances, including big names like Taylor Swift and BTS. LiveXLive also features radio, podcasts, and content that can’t be found anywhere else.

8. PRIMEPHONIC

Primephonic was created to overcome classical music’s challenges in the streaming era. This service is entirely focused on classical music only. Primephonic is currently offline while joining forces with Apple to offer millions of classical content. Once the classical service is fully running, Primephonic will be offering 6 months of content cost-free.

7. DEEZER

Deezer is a French streaming service paid through subscriptions. The platform currently has 73 million licensed tracks and 16 million active monthly users. Deezer is available in over 180+ countries and can be used on Android, IOS, Windows mobile, Blackberry, and online.

6. TIDAL

Tidal was founded in Norway in 2014. The platform features over 70 million songs and 250,000 music videos. Tidal offers the highest quality music, along with exclusive content from artists. The service is a monthly subscription and can be purchased in premium or HIFI options which differ in sound quality.

5. YOUTUBE MUSIC

Youtube is a popular platform for music and video content. In 2015, Youtube music was launched. Fulling originated around music and music streaming. Users can browse through music as well as music videos. The service is a monthly subscription and can be used ad-free and offline.

4. AMAZON MUSIC

Created by Amazon, Amazon Music is an online music store and streaming platform. The service provides HD music, music from over 20,000 labels. Amazon music works within the Echo and Alexa devices and is included within the Prime and Amazon video services.

3. SOUNDCLOUD

Soundcloud is an audio and music streaming service popularly known for up and coming artists and rappers. The service can be used either premium paid or cost-free. The premium features an extended library of offline and ad-free listening, which is not available on the unpaid service. Unlike other streaming services, SoundCloud can be easily uploaded to give smaller artists a platform and more exclusive content.

2. APPLE MUSIC

Apple Music is the streaming service provided by Apple, and it is available on all Apple products and online. Users can listen to music anywhere online and can download as much music as they want to listen offline. The service is available across 167 counties and is purchased in a subscription form.

Whether using the desktop or mobile app, the interface is easy to navigate with a simple yet effective layout. In addition, the service does a great job curating playlists and serving up valuable and intelligent recommendations.

1. SPOTIFY

Spotify is a music streaming platform founded in Sweden in 2006. The service is subscription paid, and users can pay yearly or monthly to listen to as much music on or offline. This is the world’s largest music service, with 365 million users.

The service is renowned for its new music discovery algorithms, which compile excellent weekly playlists tailored to your music tastes. And the more you listen, the more the playlists evolve – a compelling reason to choose Spotify as your streaming service.

Spotify delivers an accessible, comprehensive and complete experience and even offers a 40 per cent discount for students. Plus, if you don’t have any spare cash to spend, there’s a free tier that offers lower-quality streams supported by adverts.

Back to top button