What’s the best streaming service? Many will say Spotify; some Apple Music; if you hang out with middle-aged mothers, some might Pandora — but what is the definitive answer?
Spotify is the obvious dominating force in the market, with over 626 million active users. But just because it is the most popular, does not mean it is the best. Spotify does not offer support for the types of audio files favored by audiophiles, instead utilizing AAC files, which are criticized for their level of sonic compression. Compared to lossless formats, lossy formats like AAC and MP3 often damage the quality of production features, vocal quality, and general musical intent of the artist.
It is also difficult to navigate Spotify’s website to see how much Spotify pays their artists, as it simply states that artists can gain success by using Spotify, purposefully avoiding saying how much the artist receives per stream.
Apple Music, on the other hand, uses a specific encoding format tailored for lossless music that attempts to maintain all of the quality of the song while also compressing it for efficient data storage. Apple Music also includes options to utilize another uncompressed format: WAV files.
Apple Music is not without faults either. Many Spotify users’ main reservation with switching platforms is Apple’s inferior support for users who want to discover new music. Unlike Spotify, which has personalized “discover weekly” playlists along with a predictive algorithm, Apple Music recommendations are not as tailored to the listener.
Apple Music’s payment for artists is clearly stated on their support page as $0.01 per play. For smaller artists, this pay is not livable, but it is still better than an unknown pay rate.
Another obvious issue is that Apple Music has limited support for non-iOS devices, adding to the existing Apple monopoly in technology markets.
For a streaming service that has more of an emphasis on audio quality and artist support, underdog TIDAL has maintained a steady user base since its launch in 2014. TIDAL costs roughly the same per month as Apple Music and Spotify, and focuses on both high-quality music files and often exclusive album releases. TIDAL has brokered temporarily exclusive streaming rights deals for artists like Jay-Z (a part-owner of the company), Beyonce, and Kanye West.
In terms of artists’ pay, TIDAL is more generous than some of the big services, paying artists between one and five cents per stream. According to TIDAL, their average payout of 1.3 cents per stream is “nearly triple that of other streaming services.”
As a former user, I’ve noticed that TIDAL does have a rather clunky interface, and it previously included a surcharge for access to high-quality audio. However at its current cost (which include access to Hi-Fi streaming, something previously not possible for the standard plan), TIDALmight be more attractive to listeners.
Standing apart from the titans of the industry is the humble Bandcamp, an artist-forward alternative to the larger corporate entities. Unlike Spotify or Apple Music, which generally pay artists a pittance (meaning that only the largest artists can turn a reasonable profit from streaming revenue), Bandcamp directs 80-85% of music purchases towards its label’s artists. This figure includes digital albums, vinyl (which usually come with a free digital download), and merch sales.
The chief downside for Bandcamp is that, unlike the larger platforms, it doesn’t follow a subscription model. Bandcamp generally lets you listen to any album three times for free, but afterwards forces you to purchase the album to continue listening. This is part of the artist-first policy, as one-time sales give artists substantial revenue compared to the fractions of a cent per stream that other platforms pay. However, this business model is often not affordable for people who already pay for a subscription-based service or those who can’t afford the purchase of all the different albums they enjoy. In general, Bandcamp is more the destination for diehard music fans with decent disposable income. Bandcamp is pretty unquestionably the best streaming service for artists, but not as much for consumers.
Another option is Pandora, owned by the dominating radio corporation Sirius XM. Pandora functions similarly to a radio station: you get to choose a general theme of the stations you listen to, but have little to no control over the individual songs in your queue. Users can set functionalities for a station, such as a preference for new music or old favorites. . SiriusXM, the parent of Pandora, relies on the Sierra AI, especially for Customer Service, but still utilizes traditional algorithms to formulate its stations. SiriusXM is also pricier in comparison to its competitors, with Pandora being a similar price to Apple Music, but pays their artists significantly more: “8.8% of the price of streaming plans.” Generally, the limitation on the control of what they listen to results in a smaller user base for Pandora.
At the end of the day, the determination for what makes the “best” streaming service comes down to what you’re willing and able to pay for, and whether that price tag is negotiable based on artist payout. It’s definitely important as a music consumer to weigh these factors; both are important, but sadly, the current economy often necessitates choosing one over the other. Pretty much every streaming service either pays artists well or is cheap for the consumer; none have both, as this would mean a cut to shareholder profit .
Streaming services are not the only way to support artists you love. Another way is by purchasing vinyl, merch, and concert tickets. At the end of the day, artists deserve to be compensated, and these more expensive one-off purchases are the reason that we get the music we enjoy.
