If you don’t already know what type of music you like or who your favorite artists are, it can be a little tricky to just start exploring the world of music. First of all, there are countless tastes that are unique and individualistic. Not to mention, anyone you talk to will be more than happy to give you their personal recommendations and opinions on who the best artists are. Music is a personal thing though, and the way we connect with music is different for everyone.
In years past, there were far fewer options for music listeners. After the radio station, one could either look for professional concerts, or nearby concerts and local musicians. Today though, a curious music lover can spend hours getting lost in the massive libraries offered by music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud.
Having a little bit of information about each of these popular music streaming platforms can help someone decide which of the platforms will be right for them, their music tastes, and the way they personally like to connect with artists.
Soundcloud
Soundcloud is a unique music streaming service because of the way that it specifically highlights, features, and focuses on independent artists in a way. Soundcloud is the streaming service to go to if you like finding new and emerging artists who are likely under-recognized and under-appreciated in the industry. Sound cloud gave birth to a whole sub-sect of artists titled “soundcloud artists”. These are people who are known for making their independent music available on Soundcloud regardless of the results.
However, at the same time, Soundcloud changed the game for emerging artists, by being one of the first streaming platforms that made it easy, accessible, and simple to upload and promote independent music.
In fact, Post Malone and Kygo both got their music careers started on Soundcloud. Post Malone posted White Iverson on Soundcloud in 2015 and it blew up in popularity, eventually granting him attention from labels.
Kygo, on the other hand a DJ and music producer continually garnered international attention through releases on Soundcloud until making history as the first house-music-producer to ever play at the closing ceremonies of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Kygo and Post Malone aren’t the only mainstream artists that have found their fanbase through Soundcloud, either. Don Monique, Kehlani, and Bryson Tiller all got their start and rose to fame with the help of Soundcloud. If you’re a person who likes to explore new, emerging, and upcoming music-stars that haven’t quite hit mainstream eyes yet, Soundcloud may be the music streaming service that’s right for you.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is the music streaming service extension of Amazon Prime. As such, it comes at a cheaper price if you’re already a prime member, but you can also subscribe to this service without an existing prime account. The Amazon Music library is relatively extensive, and also includes a wide variety of podcasts to which users can listen.
One of the best features of Amazon Music is that the lyrics for the song playing will display on the “now playing” screen, making it easy to sing along or learn the lyrics of a song you haven’t heard before.
Finally, another great feature about Amazon Music is that it’s instantly accessible through smart-speakers and Alexa-enabled devices, making it easy to play your favorite playlists while you cook in the kitchen or get a workout in at your home gym.
Apple Music
Apple Music is one of the best music streaming services there is. Their music library is one of the best there is, as it’s linked to the preceding Apple Itunes store. Not only that, but Apple Music has set itself apart as a music streaming service by offering users exclusive content that can’t be found anywhere else.
From a 24/7 radio channel that features in depth and extensive artist interviews, to the Apple Music Connect feature that allows artists to connect with fans through videos, photos, and other forms of exclusive content. Apple Music is dedicated to delivering an artist-fan experience unlike any other music streaming platform there is.
Qobuz
The serious audiophile may gravitate to Qobuz, over anything else, though. This is because Qobuz is specifically focused on delivering an incredible listening experience without all the fuss and special equipment services like Tidal require.
Additionally, Qobuz has a library that contains around 70 million tracks, which is similar in number to Spotify. Because they tend to curate high-res recordings, they have a wide selection of classical and jazz tracks, though they also have an impressive collection of classic-rock.
Spotify
Spotify was the first true music streaming service to hit the market and remains one of the top players in the industry. This is why so many artists are asking themselves how to upload music to Spotify.
Spotify has some of the best playlist suggestions there are, and their extensive music library sets them apart in that they truly have a curated list of suggestions for anyone and everyone.