Between Jay Z's TIDAL, Apple's new Apple Music and an ex-Google exec's venture, which streaming service will reign supreme? Spotify still holds the title of prom queen, but these newbs are quickly catching up. What these music streaming services are finding is they not only have to impress us (the fans), but they need to cater to the artists' wants and needs, too.
Taylor Swift recently
mic-dropped demands at Apple, stating fair pay for artists should never be overlooked. Get it, girl.
As fans, we have the same power Tay has in terms of launching these streaming services past Spotify. What will you choose to stream
Selena Gomez's
new jam? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of the streaming services available:
Tidal
The dirty deets: Tidal is a streaming service owned by Jay Z that launched back in April, but this is kind of the loser of the list. The company lost its second CEO in two months, and only has 700,000-some subscribers (Spotify has 20 million, to put things in perspective.) Their launch also didn't go too well, with many artists making fun of Jay Z's new venture. Tidal claims to be a service, "for the artists," but that about us, Jay?
The price: Subscriptions are $10 a month, or $20 for high-fidelity audio. Honestly, I don't see much of a reason to choose this over Spotify (yet.)
Apple Music
The dirty deets: Apple can do no wrong in my opinion. Well, Taylor Swift might think different, but
Apple made right in the end. Like Spotify, Apple Music will have a feature that allows users to follow each other and other artists. Taking a completely different route from Tidal, Apple Music's messaging is focuses on the user experience, using real live DJs for streaming as opposed to machine analysis. Yes, that means Calvin Harris could possibly be mixing for you live while you stream, with Taylor cheering and doing her signature dance moves in the background.
The price: Sticking to the trend, Apple Music is $10 a month. They do have a fun perk, offering a $15 per month family plan. The service launches on June 30 with Apple's newest update release.
Freeform
The dirty deets: Freeform is the brainchild of ex-Google exec Tim Quirk - he was in charge of Google Play. It launched earlier this month with an interesting start: The entire platform was inspired by mobile gaming. The model gives music artists the ability to build a free app that includes an album with limited plays per day, photos, videos and free mp3 downloads with certain offers. Sounds cool, but a bit too complicated for my music streaming taste. I just want to jam when I want and as often as a I want. Sometimes a girl just needs to listen to
Ariana Grande's "Love Me Harder" on repeat - don't restrict me of that, Freeform!
The price: Free initially (with limitations), and the perks will cost you.
There are tons of streaming services making their move. Will you stick with Spotify or make the jump?