Way OT - Online Music Service question
I have enjoyed for several years, an account with Rhapsody. For how my family and I listen to music, it really has fit us well. Until recently anyway... They merged with Napster, and now it seems to not work as well, AND my monthly fee increased.
So I am looking for some Mgocommunity advice on any other services out there that might be comparable to the old rhapsody. And, if I quit Rhapsody, is there any way of getting my saved music? Would appreciate any advice on the matter.
Go Blue!
Easiest solution.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
After the 3 months was over I only made it 2 weeks before I signed up.
The biggest drawback for me personally is that Spotify does not have Tool.
He attached his name to the Pono player because he's so against the poor quality of streaming music.
Then again he's also completely against the use of fossil fuels while owning and driving a large collection of classic cars.
The classic cars that Neil drives have been converted to biofuels such as vegetable oil. The Linc Volt smells like french fries.
he talked about still driving them on Stern last year.
Judging must be done. I understand she's a huge star - and, by all accounts, a fantastic person. But she can't sign. Listening to her live on any of country music's quarterly awards shows is a painful experience. Like listening to Katy Perry live. Oooff... (Although not as bad as Ashley Simpson...)
I just don't like singers that require autotune to sound good, regardless of how good thier music is... But I will freely admit that the girl has a HUGE following and writes really good music for her audience. She's plenty talented, just not at actually singing...
"by all accounts, a fantastic person."
My understanding is it's more like her handlers have created a fantastic persona.
I've literally been with Spotify from day one and could not love it more. I do a premium subscription with them and I also have a subscription with Apple Music for Beats 1 access.
I used to be a SiriusXM subscriber, and I miss that a little, but I can access many online radio stations for free depending on my mood and what genre I want to listen to.
Spotify premium access allows offline "downloading" of everything in their library. I don't use their radio or their weekly *personalized* playlists because my daughter shares the account - I'd end up with a lot of Kanye and Drake or whatever. Sometimes I use the Amazon Prime equivalent but their library appears limited.
I don't know anything about the Apple Music because I don't use an iphone and it didn't appear to offer anything that Spotify doesn't. But I could be wrong.
Amazon Prime Music currently has no comprehensive deal with Universal. That means that they are missing over 30% of all new music releases and the majority of all the Universal music catalog. This is very significant if you are an active music listener. A more passive listener might not care or even notice.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Spotify is great because you can create stations like in Pandora, in addition to listening to pretty much any song. You can create playlists, or listen to some of the really good already curated playlists. They have a pretty good family subscription plan too.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I'll go against the Spotify wave and say Google Play Music is impossible to beat. There's the $15 family plan that covers five individual accounts, so that's perfect if you have even one other person to share it with. It also includes ad-free YouTube and the ability to play YouTube videos in the background on mobile devices.
Google play was fine, but I just think Spotify is much more user friendly.
But mostly due to already using Google for music and the side benefits. Spotify is indeed more user friendly.
A monthly subscription is 9.99 to 14.99 on most services. If you are still 'buying a fair bit' - how is that less than a monthly subscription fee?
I guess by "a fair bit", I mean there's probably on the average of about an album's worth per month that I buy because I can't get it for free. Many of the albums I buy are around 6-8$, if I even buy the whole album.
I do listen to quite a bit of music, but if I want an album bad enough to buy it, it usually takes me at least a couple weeks to digest it and move on to something else.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
I think the obvious answer for any music lover is Pono or whatever Neil Young's dumb thing is called.
Apple Music for me and the Mrs. I love having Siri play me whatever I want hands-free while I'm in the car. "Hey Siri, play the latest album by Switchfoot." Three seconds later, I'm driving a little faster through traffic :)
That new Switchfoot track "Float" is amazing. I got that on repeat. For some reason - it reminds me a lot of Beck.
YES! I love that song. What the heck sort of time signature is that? 7/4? 3/4-4/4 oscilating? They've been my favorite band for at least a decade.
EDIT: Apparently it is 7/4. So unusual. Love it.
The only real con is there isn't a free model but you can do a free 1 month trial.
The pros are : if you have an iPhone, it is stuck on your phone no matter what. Also they do some limited exclusives (ex. Drake, Dr. Dre, Garbage).
Lastly there have been rumors that Apple is looking to buy Tidal to do exclusives for Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kayny, etc. If that goes through, that would make Apple have most current music have a 1-6ish week window of exclusivity streaming. Apple might then try to flex their muscle to do older songs which wouldn't surprise me.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
That exclusivity will likely go away once Spotify gets rid of their Freemium model.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-in-talks-to-acquire-jay-zs-tidal-musi…
http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/1/12073668/why-apple-buying-tidal-makes-…
Exclusivity will pick up if Apple buys Tidal. What will go away if the Freemium model becomes obselete is no differing factor Spotify can provide to users from Apple Music, but artists like Taylor Swift and Adele will allow their music back on Spotify since they took it off for the free platform.
I think Apple buying Tidal is more likely to happen than these older articles you reference postulate. And I also think that even if it happens, the exclusivity will definitely not pick up. There are only so many superstars who can get away with offering exclusives without any sort of consequences. Spotify's playlisting numbers and exposure is too powerful a chip for them not to leverage against labels, managers, and their artists who continue offering exclusives to their competitors. Labels, artists, and managers need all accounts to support their developing artists as well as their superstars.
I think Apple just got beat to the market by Spotify - much like they got beat by Samsung with the phablets - and now they don't have anything different to offer. Aside from their brand. And this comes from a longtime mac user.
Why can't you get the Bob Seger catalog on Spotify? I'm not a huge fan, but as an aging former-Michigander, it would be nice to hear "Main Street" or "Against The Wind" once in a while.
Seger has said in a couple interviews that the problem stems from an ongoing disagreement between him and Capitol Records on media rights. He never goes into immense detail - he probably can't - but a lot of it has to do with pricing and a few other items, or so I understand. He always encourages people to go out and actually buy the physical album though, being rather an old-school person.
I use Amazon Prime since I'm already paying for it. It works well enough for me, but I'm not exactly a demanding connoisseur of online music streaming services so I have no idea how it compares to the other options
True, but traditional radio is also filled with ads, trimmed radio edits, time-compressed tracks, and poorer audio quality. Apple Music is a small price to pay for me for the higher quality and convenience.
93.1, 97.1, 97.9 on in my house every weekend here in Chicago
Google Play Music is pretty good, and the subscription will remove ads from YouTube videos. Huge library and I like the "mood" stations.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
Probably not the solution for you if you don't own the music, but I love Google Play. I don't pay a dime, and I can upload my entire music library onto it and stream or download from any device. It's pretty convenient.