🎵 /music streaming/
📌 Curated by Dan and Monica / FMHY.net 📅 Last updated: 3.5.25 👑 Focus: The 'Big 4' by market share (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music). 🚫 Not Covered: Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, regional apps (e.g., Boomplay, Anghami, etc.). 💸 Royalty figures are complex estimates per 1,000 streams and fluctuate significantly based on many factors (region, subscription type, specific deals, etc.). Treat them as rough comparative indicators only.
🎧 Spotify
- Best For: Users prioritizing ease-of-use, device compatibility (Connect), social features, and integrated podcasts/audiobooks over absolute audio fidelity. Excellent value via Family plans.
- 💰 Pricing: $11.99/month (Individual) | Free Tier Available | Family & Student plans reduce cost.
- 💻 Desktop Mod: SpotX (Modifies official desktop app)
- 📱 Android Mod: ReVanced Manager (Patches official app, requires own API key for full functionality)
- 📱 iOS Mod: Spotilife / Spotify++ variants (Requires sideloading/jailbreak, stability varies)
- 📈 Approx. Royalties: ~$3-5 per 1,000 streams (Highly debated and variable).
Save Money: Standard $11.99/mo Individual vs. $19.99/mo Family plan (up to 6 accounts) = ~$3.33/person/month.
Android Modding Status: Official Spotify app updates frequently break mods. The ReVanced approach (patching the official app) is generally the most sustainable method currently, but requires user effort and staying updated with compatible versions/patches.
✅ Pros
- Superb User Experience: Generally intuitive apps across platforms, though UI complexity is increasing.
- Spotify Connect: Seamless cross-device control and playback handoff remains best-in-class.
- Strong Social Integration: Collaborative playlists, friend activity feed, Jam sessions enhance shared listening.
- Vast Content Library: Music catalogue is comprehensive, plus extensive podcasts & audiobooks (audiobook access limited on standard plans).
- Effective Discovery: Personalized playlists (Discover Weekly, Release Radar) and robust search function are generally well-regarded.
❌ Cons
- Audio Quality: Limited to lossy 320kbps Ogg Vorbis. No lossless/HiFi option despite years of promises.
- Artist Compensation: Widely criticized for low per-stream payouts and policies perceived as unfavorable to smaller artists (Further Reading).
- Algorithm Bubble: Recommendations can sometimes feel repetitive or limited over time.
- Business Practices: History of industry controversies and perceived focus on platform metrics over artist partnerships (Example Context).
- Increasing UI Clutter: Integration of non-music features can make the app feel less focused.
🎯 Bottom Line: The dominant player for a reason – user-friendly, feature-packed, great connectivity. However, its lack of lossless audio and controversial artist compensation model are significant drawbacks for discerning listeners and industry watchers.
🍏 Apple Music
- Best For: Users deep in the Apple ecosystem, audiophiles prioritizing included lossless/spatial audio, and classical music fans.
- 💰 Pricing: $10.99/month (Individual) | Family & Student Plans Available | Often bundled with Apple One.
- 💻 Desktop: Official App (Music on macOS, iTunes/AM App on Windows)
- 📱 Android: Official App
- 📱 iOS: Official App (System Integrated)
- 📈 Approx. Royalties: ~$10 per 1,000 streams (Generally considered among the highest, but still complex).
No Known Mods: No reliable methods exist to get free premium Apple Music features via modded clients.
✅ Pros
- Excellent Audio Quality Included: Lossless (ALAC up to 24-bit/192kHz) and Dolby Atmos spatial audio are standard.
- Apple Music Classical: Dedicated app (Link) offers superior metadata and search for classical music.
- Human Curation: Strong editorial playlists and well-organized discovery sections (though algorithm lags).
- Extensive Catalogue: Includes a vast library of official releases and many DJ mixes (often with tracklists).
- Clean UI (especially iOS): Integrates seamlessly into the Apple ecosystem; design generally praised.
❌ Cons
- App Performance Issues (Non-iOS): Android and Windows apps are frequently criticized for being buggy, slow, and less stable than the iOS version.
- Weaker Discovery Algorithm: Personalized recommendations and radio stations often lag behind Spotify and YouTube Music.
- Search Functionality: Can be less intuitive or powerful compared to competitors, especially for complex queries.
- Limited Cross-Device Control: No direct equivalent to Spotify Connect for seamless remote control (AirPlay/Handoff serve different purposes).
- Podcasts Separate: Requires using the distinct Apple Podcasts app.
🎯 Bottom Line: Offers outstanding audio quality and strong curation within its price, making it ideal for Apple users and audiophiles. However, the experience is significantly hampered by subpar non-iOS apps and less effective algorithmic discovery.
🌊 Tidal
- Best For: Audiophiles demanding high-resolution audio, DJs needing software integration, and users prioritizing artist compensation and detailed liner notes.
- 💰 Pricing: $10.99/month (Individual) | Family & Student Plans Available (Single tier now includes all audio formats)
- 💻 Desktop: Official App
- 📱 Android: Official App
- 📱 iOS: Official App
- 📈 Approx. Royalties: ~$13 per 1,000 streams (Historically promoted higher/direct artist payouts; model has evolved but generally still favorable).
Simplified Tier: Tidal now offers one main subscription tier ($10.99/mo) that includes all audio formats: HiFi (CD-quality FLAC), Hi-Res FLAC (up to 24-bit/192kHz), Dolby Atmos, and Sony 360 Reality Audio.
No Known Mods: No reliable methods exist to get free premium Tidal features via modded clients.
✅ Pros
- Superior Audio Quality Standard: Hi-Res Lossless FLAC and immersive audio (Dolby Atmos, 360RA) included in the base plan.
- Artist-Centric Reputation: Historically focused on higher royalty rates and direct artist support initiatives.
- Comprehensive Credits: Excellent metadata providing detailed info on songwriters, producers, engineers, etc.
- DJ Software Integration: Direct support for popular platforms like Serato, Rekordbox, VirtualDJ.
- Visually Appealing UI: Often praised for a clean, dark-themed aesthetic.
❌ Cons
- Catalogue Gaps: While extensive, may occasionally miss niche tracks or regional content found on Spotify/YT Music.
- Search Can Be Finicky: Less robust search compared to competitors, sometimes struggles with specific queries.
- App Performance: Can occasionally be buggy, slow to load, or use more resources than alternatives on some devices.
- Limited Social Features: Lacks collaborative playlists, friend activity feeds, or features like Spotify Jam.
- Past Business Instability: While recent simplification helps, the platform has faced periods of uncertainty (Example Context).
🎯 Bottom Line: A premium audio experience now accessible at a standard price. Ideal for those who prioritize sound quality, detailed credits, and artist support, provided they can overlook minor app quirks and less emphasis on social features.
▶️ YouTube Music
- Best For: Users prioritizing the absolute largest potential catalogue (including unofficial content), top-tier music discovery algorithms, and video integration.
- 💰 Pricing: $10.99/month (Individual) | Free Tier Available (w/ ads, no background) | Family & Student Plans Available | Included with YouTube Premium.
- 💻 Desktop Mod: YTMusic Desktop App (Unofficial) / Web Player (Ad-blockers recommended)
- 📱 Android Mod: ReVanced Extended (YT Music Patches) / OuterTune (Both typically require user patching)
- 📱 iOS Mod: YTMusicUltimate / uYouPlusExtra (includes YTMusic) (Requires sideloading)
- 📈 Approx. Royalties: ~$5-9 per 1,000 streams (Extremely variable & opaque: depends heavily on Premium vs. Ad-supported playback, video vs. audio source, region, specific deals).
Alternative Clients/Mods: Provide background playback, ad removal, and sometimes offline downloads via patching official apps or using third-party clients. User effort (patching/sideloading) is generally required.
✅ Pros
- Unrivaled Catalogue Depth: Access to official releases PLUS YouTube's massive library of covers, remixes, live recordings, user uploads, etc. If it's on YouTube, it's likely playable here.
- Excellent Recommendation Engine: Leverages Google's powerful algorithms for highly personalized radio stations and discovery playlists.
- Seamless Video Integration: Easily switch between audio-only and music video versions for many tracks.
- Podcast Integration: Google Podcasts functionality is integrated into the platform.
- Generous Free Tier (with limitations): Allows on-demand playback on desktop (with ads), unlike Spotify's shuffle-only free mobile tier.
❌ Cons
- Inconsistent Audio Quality: Official tracks max out at lossy 256kbps AAC. Content sourced from YouTube videos can have significantly lower/variable quality. No lossless option.
- App Experience Deficiencies: No dedicated official desktop app. Mobile apps sometimes criticized for UI clutter, bugs, less intuitive library management compared to competitors.
- Opaque Royalties: Payout structure is complex and lacks transparency, making it difficult to assess fair artist compensation.
- Library Management: Merging official music with YouTube uploads can sometimes create organizational confusion. Interface can feel less polished for managing large libraries.
🎯 Bottom Line: King of catalogue size and algorithmic discovery, leveraging the full power of YouTube. This comes at the cost of consistent audio quality, a polished native app experience (especially desktop), and clear royalty structures.