The music industry is constantly changing. From record players to eight-tracks, to cassette tapes, to CDs and now finally MP3s. This is how we will listen to music for years to come. Downloading music is nothing new to our generation, but the way we download music is always changing. After Napster paved the way for the new era of music downloading, emerging companies have finally tweaked these ideas and made listening to music easier and more affordable for everyone.
The two most popular music streaming services today are Spotify and Apple Music, with Spotify still leading with 40 million paid subscribers as of September 2016, and Apple Music with 15 million paid subscribers. They both offer unlimited music streaming for their customers at decent prices, but we are going to compare and contrast the two services to help you decide which service you should put your money into.
Apple Music
Pros:
- Easy to access all of your music on all of your Apple devices (iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, MacBook, Apple Watch, etc.)
- Free three-month trial.
- Ability to set saved songs as alarm clock music instead of regular alarm tones.
- Exclusive albums not featured on other music streaming services.
- Sleek modern design.
- Without Apple Music, you would need to purchase the songs individually through iTunes- Roughly $1.29 per song.
Cons:
- You cannot listen to your music offline.
- No access from a web browser (must have the app).
- The layout is not as easy to navigate as Spotify.
- Cannot search user-created playlists.
- On old generation Apple TV’s you cannot access your Apple Music.
Spotify
Pros:
- Accessible from a web browser and desktop app.
- Ability to save music for offline use without using any data.
- Easy to use layout.
- Personalized playlists.
- Ability to search user-created playlists easily.
- More genres of playlists to better suit your mood.
- Your music can be played easily from your Playstation device.
- If you don’t want to pay for Spotify Premium, you can still listen to unlimited music. The only downside is you will have ads you have to listen to like with Pandora. But what still makes it better than Pandora is that you can save songs you like to your own playlists.
Cons:
- Cannot save your music to wake you up in the morning as an alarm clock.
Apple Music & Spotify:
- Unlimited streaming tens of millions of songs with one small payment per month.
- Their rates are both:
- $9.99 individual plans, $4.99 student plans, $14.99 family plans.
- They both have a radio option like Pandora.
After evaluating both services, the better choice is hands down Spotify. I’m sure Apple Music will catch up and surpass its competitor one day, but for now, if you were to choose between the two, spend your hard earned money on Spotify.
