Early Spotify users are probably searching for a different, complimentary music-streaming service now that Spotify’s 6 months of listening without charge is about to run out.
Music lovers who initially adopted the service provided by Spotify when it reached the United States on 14th of July last year will run into hitches soon. For example, as soon as the 6 months time limit to change to Spotify Premium or Spotify Unlimited expires, users of Spotify will be allowed to play their preferred songs no more than 5 times, and each month free streaming will not exceed ten hours.
Spotify provides its users with a large music library, approximately fifteen million tracks, and this is one feature that devoted users of Spotify really like.
Integration to Facebook plus the capability to create playlists of preferred songs (a list can contain up to ten thousand songs) are some other interesting features. The songs you listen to show up on your desktop sidebar and Facebook Timeline. Additionally, users are provided with a handy search bar and share buttons with which to access content. Spotify Premium offers users an offline mode with which they can listen to songs on the beach, train or plane. Lastly, users can enjoy radio stations specially adapted to their specific genre preferences or artist.
There is no doubt that Spotify is highly convenient and exciting to use, however , cutting off its complimentary music streaming service will effectively bring the early harmonious stage to an end. Presented below are 5 free music-streaming sites plus applications that you can use in place of Spotify.
A. Grooveshark
This is a good alternative to Spotify. It offers complimentary music streaming with advertisements to its users upon request. Globally more than 30 million individuals use Grooveshark.
How it measures up to Spotify: The two services have provisions for sharing music files with friends on social networking platforms like Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. Grooveshark also provides a desktop application that can be downloaded. It also offers radio-streaming as well as the ability to upload your own music. Additionally, Grooveshark notes users’ listening habits and provides artist and song suggestions.
Dissimilarities: The quality of the music files may differ, as Grooveshark lets anyone upload music. Free users have unlimited access to Grooveshark’s services, while users of Spotify can enjoy free services for a maximum of ten hours each month.
Music Library Size: More than seven million songs
Paid Alternatives – For six dollars a month, a user can get Grooveshark-Plus which offers limitless listening with no advertisements. Users can also get Grooveshark-Anywhere which provides music-streaming on the go at nine dollars each month.
Mobile Accessibility: Grooveshark’s website states that with paid subscription users can get instant access to music using Blackberry, Palm, Nokia, Android plus Jailbroken iPhones as well as free radio streaming.
B. Pandora
Pandora offers users desktop and mobile music-streaming service at no cost. It provides personalized song collections based on the track or artist that you key in.
How it measures up to Spotify: With Pandora, users can easily listen to songs without generating a playlist or searching for tracks. Pandora, which is supported by “The Music Genome Undertaking”, is capable of using your search stipulations to generate music. The radio will adjust itself in accordance with the positive and negative ratings you provide. Sharing music on Pandora with friends using Twitter, Facebook plus other social networking media is quite weak when compared to Spotify’s broad range capabilities.
Dissimilarities: If what you are looking for is a wide collection of instant music streaming, then Spotify is a better service. While Spotify has about fifteen million songs in its vault, the internet radio on Pandora plays from a lesser set of seven hundred thousand songs.
Music Library Size: Seven hundred tracks
Paid Alternatives - Users can get Pandora One which offers limitless music play, no advertisements, limitless song skips and quality audio for $36 a year.
Mobile Accessibility: Pandora One options provide free radio streaming plus premium listening via Palm Pre devices, iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry and Android 1.6.
C. Rdio
This is a music streaming app that gives users within theUnited Statesinstant music streaming with no adverts. The amount of time users can enjoy free music streaming each month is not specified. Rdio was developed by Skype co-creators and it started offering Rdio Free which is a fixed amount of free instant, ad-free music in October 2011 using its Facebook integration.
How it measures up to Spotify: Free users of Spotify and Rdio both enjoy instant access to music, sharing of favorite songs and playlists on several social networking sites. They are also given music suggestions and can tune in to artist-personalized radio stations. Free users of both Spotify and Rdio are allowed to look through and listen to best tracks lists, recent releases and albums.
Dissimilarities: While Spotify plays advertisements in between song collections, Rdio Free offers users instant and advert free music streaming. The firm does not reveal the amount of time users can make use of its service free of charge. Rdio says, “We prefer to do things this way instead of inundating people with advertisements… Any time you can no longer get free music in a given month, you have the option of upgrading to any of the available pricing plans on Rdio or wait for the coming month to start enjoying free services afresh.”
Music Library Size: Twelve million songs
Paid Alternatives – Users can get Rdio Web which provides limitless streaming from desktop or browser platforms for $4.99 each month. Another option is Rdio Unlimited which goes for $9.99 each month. It provides limitless mobile streaming and unlimited web streaming. Unlimited Family provides two limitless web plus phone subscriptions. It costs $17.99 each month.
Mobile Accessibility: The service is available of Blackberry phones, Windows Phone 7 appliances, Android 1.6, iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad.
D. MOG FreePlay
This is the free edition of MOG FreePlay’s initial subscription-required app.
How it measures up to Spotify – Both MOG FreePlay and Spotify offer their users music streaming with advertisements free of charge. However new MOG FreePlay users can listen to songs for sixty days without advertisements. The two services log users in via Facebook and lets users share music with friends. MOG FreePlay offers suggestions based on artists and bands you Liked on Facebook. Users are given options to build favorite songs, playlists and many more on both players.
Dissimilarities: Like Rdio MOG FreePlay provides an unrevealed amount of play as well, but you are given the opportunity to earn additional free music each month on MOG FreePlay. You get points when you ask your friends to sign up to MOG.
Music Library size: Thirteen million Songs
Paid Alternatives – With $4.99 each month, users can get MOG Basic plan, which provides limitless, instant music for your PC, sans mobile access. There is also the MOG Primo offer for $9.99 each month. It provides mobile and computer access plus limitless streaming to your handset.
Mobile Accessibility: This can only be got via Primo Plan to Android phones, iPod Touch and iPhone.
E. YouTube
Even though YouTube is used for playing videos, there is nothing wrong with using the free, instant music streaming offered by YouTube, if you enjoying listening to music on-demand. YouTube Disco will give you access to songs by artist.
How it measures up to Spotify: YouTube gives you the ability to build playlists of your preferred songs that you can listen to while working or at play. It is quite easy to share YouTube videos with your friends on several social networking media.
Dissimilarities: You have to do a little extra work if you want to listen to on-demand music on YouTube. You have to look for the songs you want to listen to. But you can use several playlists pre-packaged by others.
Mobile Accessibility: the pre-installed app on YouTube functions on iOS and Android devices. Users can also get downloads on Windows Phones. There are web-based editions for most smartphones.
Do you use any music streaming services or apps? If you do, are they as good as Spotify? Your comments are most welcome.
hey great article man. Spotify kicks ass
It’s just hard to get free premium codes.