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From records and 8-tracks to MP3s and Walkmen, technology changes the way in which we absorb our music. At this point, few people have memories of hauling suitcases full of cassette tapes (or even CDs) around with them on vacation as kids, and in a few more years perhaps even the ever-ubiquitous iPod will be just a memory of the past, removed from it's throne by a software that streams music to you directly in your head.
Until then, we have to make do with the technology that we have - and increasingly music fans are incorporating cloud-based, streaming services into their repetoire. From long-standing services like Rhapsody, to just-released softwares like Spotify, there are a slew of streaming music services to choose from. So, which one will work best for you? Read on for the highlights of twelve of the top options and be sure to let us know what your favorite is in the comments!
Spotify has been a popular streaming service in Europe since its 2008 debut but only recently made its way to U.S. shores. An instant hit, the service offers streaming over roughly 15 million songs from major (Sony, EMI, Universal, Warner) and indie labels.
In addition to streaming music, Spotify also enables its users to create playlists with a simple drag-and-drop as well as create a library to keep a record of playlists, starred tracks and any music purchased inside the service (as well as “your own cleaned-up and properly-tagged music files”). Songs and playlists can be shared with your Spotify friends as well as on Facebook, Twitter and email – indeed, Spotify is heavily entwined with social media; it currently requires a Facebook account to sign in which has discouraged many from using it.
The service also has a dedicated radio stream (a la Pandora or Slacker), which allows uers to make their own stations and has recently added Apps, which are designed to enhance your Spotify experience by adding apps from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and last.fm (and more) which deliver music news, reviews, recommendations, song lyrics, even mood-based playlists. They’ve also recently linked up with Shazam, which allows you to tap a “Play in Spotify” button for the songs you discover through Shazam’s service.
Pricing: Free (ad supported, six month trial period ) offers users the ability to listen to tracks, play and organize their own music, use Spotify Social and Artist Radio, and take your music abroad for 14 days. Unlimited $4.99/month gets you everything the free version offers with no ads. Premium $9.99/month gives you all of the above functionalities but throws in the ability to play Spotify music and local files on your mobile, an offline mode for your desktop and mobile, and play Spotify through music systems.
Availability: Mac and PC desktops (there’s a preview for the Linux version). iOS, Android, and BlackBerry (reportedly coming soon for Symbian, Palm and Windows Phone 7 users). Sonos, Logitech’s Squeezebox Touch or Radio, Onkyo Home cinema receivers, WD TV Live or Live Hub, Boxee.
Rhapsody has been around (in the U.S.) since 2001 and is currently on Version 4. They’ve joined forces with Napster to bring users a streaming music service, radio service and music library service with over 13 million songs and 1 million paid subscribers.
Much like Spotify and Rdio, Rhapsody users can stream a radio station, create a drag-and-drop playlist or save music in a library for easy access. Charts show what other Rhapsody users are listening to, bios, trivia and reviews are available for artists and users can create a profile and connect with Facebook friends. Rhapsody works with AAC, AAC+, MP3 and WMA formats but downloaded files have restrictions on their use – enforced by Helix, Rhapsody’s version of DRM.
Pricing: 14 day free trial. $9.99/month for Rhapsody Premier gives users access on one mobile device, online streaming via Rhapsody.com or Windows PC client software, and unlimited home audio listening. $14.99/month for Rhapsody Premier Plus gives access on three mobile devices, online streaming and unlimited home audio.
Availability: Windows 7, Vista, XP (32- and 64-bit). Not available for Mac or Linux. iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 (and partnered with Verizon, Sprint and Metro PCS to download music on a compatible mobile phone). Also available on Sonos Multi-Room Music System, Logitech Squeezebox Duet, Sonos Play 5 and Play 3, Yamaha MusicCast2, and more.
As its stated primary goal is to “let people experience and discover music together – live – online,” it should come as no surprise that turntable.fm is primarily a social platform where the music is selected by your friends and social connections (as opposed to an algorithm).
Turntable.fm is organized into “rooms,” which users can enter; you can see the other users avatar’s in the room, their comments in the chat box pop up in a bubble over their head. Anyone can DJ a song for the room, DJs spin songs and the users in the room can vote on the songs – too many “Lame” votes and the song gets skipped. Tons of “Awesome” votes give you DJ points that you can use to upgrade your avatar. Turntable.fm rooms have titles like Top 40, Indie While You Work, or I *heart* the 80’s but many lean towards electronic or dubstep. There’s information in a drop down menu on what songs have been played in the room, as well as options to buy the music, see artist info, and the tracks voting percentage.
The whole thing is a fairly social-leaning service, with the obligatory share option for Facebook, Twitter and email, but it seems to be going well – turntable.fm opened to the public in May 2011; by June it had 140,000 active users (in the U.S. – service is U.S. only due to DMCA). One of the only drawbacks is the lack of a “Pause” button, you can turn the music off or on but can’t pause, repeat or skip back or forward.
Pricing: free.
Availability: Available to anyone with a web browser and a Facebook or Twitter account. Also available as an iTunes app. Syncs with iTunes, Rdio, Spotify and Amazon.
Comments are closed on this article
jth
January 25, 2012 at 3:04am
"Play It Again Sam" One of the most misquoted movie lines ever...
Anyway, I absolutely love my Zune pass. I rarely stream with it but it's great to be out and hear a song I want to immediately download and play back over and over until I'm sick of it and never want to hear it again.
dethduck
January 25, 2012 at 2:21am
Bah! I'll stay old school.
Shoutcast is good enough for me.
I get plenty of "music discovery" on Groove Salad.
NcOle
January 24, 2012 at 9:53pm
Music has come so far from the days of mixed cassette tapes; thank you for the updated music playlist lesson!
NH3MAN
January 24, 2012 at 7:59pm
IMHO for basic free streaming Last FM is a standout between most of that type but I could see others preferring Spotify, Pandora, and even Slacker. I am sure the haters will disagree but if you are going to pay for it then ZUNE without a doubt is the best. Between the easy to navigate UI of the PC software, the excellent Library selection, and the superior song/playlist management there is no comparison IMVHO. I guess the reason its not popular could just be that you need a Zune Player/Windows Phone, or that its Microsoft, or even its stupid ratings system that it insists on using (love/blank/don't love...?). The ZUNE Smart DJ is awesome! I didn't think I could add too much to my 5-6 gig library but it has found a slew of new music I didn't know about or old music I had forgotten about that fits my taste so much so that I use my free 10 song each month the day I get the credits and I have hundreds more waiting. (I am grandfathered with the old $14.99 plan where I can select to permanently own 10 songs per month and I'm not giving that up if I can help it)
NH3MAN
January 24, 2012 at 10:07pm
Also wanted to mention the extras with ZUNE in addition to Music Pass such as the excellent audio or video podcast subscribing with effortless wireless sync to your device. You can even subscribe with your device sans PC. Along with the all you an eat downloading or listening you can also quickly purchase from the Marketplace if you find a keeper. OK, I might be a ZUNE fanboy but that is despite the fact that I despise MS just as much if not more than I do Google or Apple.
moko
January 24, 2012 at 8:56pm
i read that mog was great quality/good bit rate...streaming at 320kbps.....just trying out this week,and really like it so far
Morete
January 24, 2012 at 5:41pm
I miss imeem. It was the best of the best for difficult to find international songs and uploaded music was very well compressed (HQ),for being a free format.
