Despite the revival of vinyl, and the mini resurgence of the CD format, streaming remains by far the most popular method of music consumption and there is no bigger streaming service than Spotify. Recently, the streaming service, which is often in the news for reasons other than its music catalog, announced that after years of requests from its subscribers, it is adding lossless audio. Now with the addition of lossless audio, how does Spotify’s service tiers compare to its competition?
Additionally, does the question need to be asked, by lossless audio, does the company mean 1,411 kilobits per second (kbps) 16-bit/44kHz content or will the actual kbps clock in at a lower rate than the CD standard? For the time being those questions cannot be answered, but there are some comparisons to music streaming services that can still be made.
Comparisons of Various Music Streaming Services
To stay consistent the comparisons will look at each individual account package for Spotify, Amazon Music, Qobuz, TIDAL, and Deezer. Each of these services offer student plans, family plans and it some cases the ability to purchase/download music.
Spotify
Until the lossless audio becomes available, the service provides add-free content at 320kbps. The service also provides the ability to download songs that includes its Offline Back that automatically downloads content. Additionally, Spotify provides access to 15 hours of audio book access per month. The regular subscription price is $11.99 per month.
Apple Music
Like Spotify, Apple Music provides access to millions of songs without ads, as well as shows, concerts and on-demand radio stations. Apple Music also provides spatial audio with Dolby Atmos for immersive audio, lossless audio, and the ability to download 100,000 songs and listen on or offline. Individual Apple Music plans are $10.99 per month.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music like Apple Music and Spotify provides millions of songs to subscribers, as well as access to podcasts and audio books. Like Apple Music, Amazon also offers spatial audio content, and it too carries a $10.99 per month for an individual subscription.
TIDAL
TIDAL has been the audiophile choice for years through the service’s adoption of lossless, high-resolution, and now Dolby Atmos immersive audio content. Overall, TIDAL provides access to millions of ad-free songs, along with personalized mixes, editorial playlists and live artist sessions. The company also offers its DJ Extension service as an add-on to an individual account. DJ Extension provides catalog access and stems from select partners. An individual from TIDAL is $10.99 per month, and the DJ Extension add-on is $9.00 per month.
Qobuz
One of the newer services in the U.S. that’s available to music fans, Qobuz with its Studio individual plan like the other companies, including Spotify, offers access to millions of songs. The Qobuz catalog provides FLAC quality levels up to 24-bit/192kHz, and its step-up individual plan is called Sublime. The Sublime adds the benefit of discounts on high-resolution audio purchases as high as 60%. Pricing for the Studio plan is $10.83 per month and pricing for the Sublime plan is $14.99 per month.
Deezer
Deezer provides millions of ad-free songs, as well as music playlists, and song lyrics. Deezer also offers offline listening to subscribers. Like Spotify, a monthy individual plan from Deezer is $11.99 per month. It should also be noted that Deezer offers a free service that is supported by ads.
