Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. No Streaming At All

My ISP is too crappy to even think of streaming.

 

Same here. We took a vacation out west two years ago, drove from Scottsdale, Arizona through Sedona and then up to Grand Canyon National Park. Went through several mountain passes and then went the scenic way which is up-and-over a few mountain peaks and there was no cell serivce up there whatsoever. Did my research before the trip though, built a nice 2 hour playlist for the majestic occasion, and that was that.

Little known fact: You can get Google Maps to save very large area in 'offline mode'. So if you lose cellular connectivity during a trip you won't lose your maps.

 

How is Tidal's library of songs? Spotify and Apple Music have 45 million+ songs.....wasn't Tidal at one point trying to be exclusive and thus have fewer artists/titles?

 

I'm Apple Music all day.
I find everything about it better.

True but once in a blue it doesn't play back that exact copy.

 

Besides the traditional way we listen to music (artist/album/song) the streaming services offer what the industry calls "mood playlists". I've read that on Spotify and Apple Music as much as 60% of all requests are for playlists not by artist but by moods such as:

"Acoustic Love"
"Totally Stress Free"
"Relax & Unwind"
"Have A Great Day!"
"Wake Up Happy"
"Broken Heart"

So while no algorithm decides what we listen to in "traditional mode", they most definitely work their magic in what we'll call "random mode". I like using these mood playlists. "Hey Siri, play songs for a cocktail party" or "Hey Siri, play songs for a rainy day" and they bring up a good mix of my own favorites and new songs that I really like.

 

It's a great feature but generally for background music while working or chatting. Not really for active listening (but dancing maybe).

 

Oh I've definitely listened to some of the "mood" playlists as well as those generated for me based on my likes and preferences. I just don't exclusively listen to them. 90% of the time it's either full albums or playlists of my own design.

The argument against streaming music because "I don't want an algorithm to pick my music" doesn't hold water.

 

Streaming is a $10 audiophile accessory.

That's how I like to look at it.

 

Not for nothing but I had to laugh at the inclusion of her being a "normal person"

 

When I tried it at a friend's house I said "Hey Siri, play music for a busy, successful executive", but I didn't care for the music it played. Lots of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.

 

And besides, why is streaming vs. physical such an either/or proposition? The way I see it, any real music lover would totally take advantage of both. Killer audio at home, total access and convenience on the go. Win-win.

 

On a mobile device or home wi-fi?

These days connectivity really souldn't be a problem, the prices have come way down and unlimited data plans from the big carriers are LTE or 5G. Perhaps you live somewhere challenging? Can you share your region?

 

I use Apple and, for the most part, play albums in their entirety. That I choose. Apple never chooses anything for me unless I deliberately want it to.

 

Use Apple, then.

 

If you use an Apple homepod, does it only play mono mixes of albums, since it only plays in mono?

 

I don't rent algorithims

 

I am with you. I have all my MFSL masterings and SHM masterings, and all my favorite masterings and artists on my iPod via local library and right next to it is my Spotify music with tons of new albums to listen to and enjoy and the ability to pull up anything else I may want. It is a great combination of tools

 

I was an RDIO subscriber from 2010 until it shuttered, then Apple Music after that. I currently have an Amazon HD trial — three free months, who can beat that? — but intend to stick with Apple for now. I see it as an auxiliary library to test out new music and listen to music that only has one mastering. Streaming has come a long way, and it’s a fun way to share music with “normals.” With a couple of taps I can allow help my friends and family discover gems I really enjoy.

Plus, Apple didn’t take away any of my needle drops, MFSL / DCC / Audio Fidelity / Analog Productions albums, and Amazon can’t ding my files via delivery.

 

Self-awareness is key. None of us are normal. She loves music, but just not in an obsessive way like I do. Which actually sounds kind of nice, honestly.

 

That's correct. My workaround is to rip the problematic albums by "side" instead of track. So, for the mono Beatles albums, they're ripped as Side 1 and Side 2. Apple Music doesn't know what to do with that in terms of matching (which is a good thing) so just uploads the actual music.

 

Another streaming Vs physical formats topic? Really? Perhaps it will end up being locked like the recent ‘CDs will rise in value after their slow demise’ topic which turned into chaos and vanished without trace. Popcorn anyone?



For the record, I am happy with physical formats (CD) and use an iPod loaded with my collection when out and about.

 

Some of the arguments against streaming are strangely reminiscent of the "You can not play MP3s on an iPod!!" proclamations of the early 2010s

 

As usual, I use Apple Music for music discovery and for albums I don't physically own, but other than that I am still always looking for and buying CDs and occasionally records. CDs when ripped in FLAC and used with Foobar2000 on a PC can offer the same pros of streaming without any of the disadvantages.

 

Go here then click on the current services link. You will find supposedly Tidal has the biggest catalog second only to SoundCloud. Comparison of on-demand music streaming services - Wikipedia