Best service for streaming music?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I'm not really a music fan. I'm more of a radio fan and like to listen to whatever Pandora gives me. But recently I've wanted to have more control over what I listen:

- From time to time I want to be able to find and play specific tracks instead of doing the radio shuffle.

- I want higher quality streams.

- I would still like to "discover" new music via a Pandora-like shuffle.

- I would like to be able to download for offline listening.

- Would like to listen on both my Android and Windows lappy.

Would Spotify satisfy these requirements? Comments on Spotify?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

google all access for me

 

[Printer Bandit]

i like spotify premium.

 

[KeithTalent]

I use Rdio. Has most of what I need in the way of music and the offline syncing to my device is super handy.

KT

 

[crashtestdummy]

I'm one of the few left that still has a subscription to Rhapsody, mostly because it's the only one (that I know of) that still lets me download files onto my cheap mp3 player. I'm guessing they'll get rid of that feature one of these days, though, at which point I'll do some comparison shopping.

 

[Ns1]

related: any way to get a discount on spotify?

 

[ussfletcher]

i like spotify premium.

Correct answer.

 

[Crono]

Spotify, Xbox Music, Google Play Music All Access, in that order. I've used all three for at least a few months, but I've been on and off with Xbox Music since the 30GB original Zune (doo doo brown!) launch a few years ago. Spotify fits all your requirements and works pretty decently on both Windows and Android. All three have a Pandora-like feature to play similar music based on artist or song.

Xbox Music gets a bump up if you have Windows Phone, an Xbox, and Windows tablets; Google Play Music gets a bump up if you have Android devices. Spotify has the easiest and cleanest desktop app with the most features, but probably the most dumbed down (or simple and clean, depending on your view) on mobile. Xbox Music is finally good again on Windows 8.1, though it's better suited for a touchscreen (I usually have my second screen - a touchscreen - with Metro and Music running on it).

I've never liked Rhapsody and haven't had a reason to use Rdio yet. Pandora is still the best way to discover new music, I use free/ad supported one a lot and usually find artists and albums to add to my Xbox Music collection (current service) that way.

 

[Kneedragger]

Another option is Music Unlimited. https://music.sonyentertainmentnetwork.com/

 

[mjrpes3]

i like spotify premium.

sync to desktop, smartphone. radio, apps, shared playlists. integrate with your own music. worth the $10/month for me.

 

[lothar]

Google Play Music All Access > Spotify Premium > *

 

[chimaxi83]

Google's All Access streaming is pretty good. It's subscription based, think it's $8 a month. But they have almost everything, plus you can skip whatever you want, as many times as you want, repeat what you want, etc. It's like having all the music stored on your device (which it also integrates into the app).

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Google's All Access streaming is pretty good. It's subscription based, think it's $8 a month. But they have almost everything, plus you can skip whatever you want, as many times as you want, repeat what you want, etc. It's like having all the music stored on your device (which it also integrates into the app).

Does it have the Pandora-esque Discover New Music mode?

 

[Wingznut]

I like both Google and Spotify equally... But since Google is $2/mo cheaper, I went with that.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Erm, Google Play Music is $10 a month.

 

[lothar]

Erm, Google Play Music is $10 a month.

I pay $8/month.

 

[Wingznut]

I pay $8/month.

Same here... $7.99 to be exact.

 

[lothar]

Same here... $7.99 to be exact.

Yup.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I guess the prices went up?

https://play.google.com/about/music/

$9.99 / month

 

[Wingznut]

Erm, Google Play Music is $10 a month.

I guess the prices went up?
https://play.google.com/about/music/
$9.99 / month

Hmm, apparently so. Bummer for the new subscribers.

Well, at the same price, I'd check out both Spotify and Google for a month (each are free for 30 days, I believe) and just pick whichever you like better. I don't think there's a big enough difference to have a "right" answer.

 

[Crono]

I guess the prices went up?

https://play.google.com/about/music/

$9.99 / month

The lower price was introductory to promote the service after it launched.

Spotify Premium came out at $9.99 first, Xbox Music Pass and Google Play Music All Access (great names, guys ) matched their pricing. So price isn't really a differentiator, it just comes down to features and preference. Xbox Music doesn't have offline listening yet on Android or iOS, though supposedly it's "coming soon", otherwise that would be my top pick for a fellow Android user (I've got a Lumia, too, so it doesn't bother me).

Their libraries aren't all that different, either, from what I can tell. There are some major artists (The Beatles, AC/DC come to mind) you won't find on any of them because the artists and/or music companies have opted to not make them available for streaming, but otherwise 99% of the music I want I have been able to get.

 

[Kaido]

I like MOG:

https://mog.com

$10 a month, 16 million songs. You can download to your phone for offline listening and make playlists on your phone. I wouldn't say their app is perfect, but you get 320kbps streaming (high quality) and a huge music selection. It does have a radio feature with a choice of either "by same artist" or "by similar artists".

I've tried Spotify, Google Play, Rhapsody, etc. and I like MOG the best because it's really easy.

 

[xanis]

Spotify Premium. I used Rdio premium for a while, but the lower bitrate made me switch.