What Do You Want in a Music Streaming Service?

It can be a bit overwhelming to figure out which music streaming services are the best options for you. This is especially true when you take into account that most of them don’t have ads which can make the listening experience more enjoyable. Most music streaming sites out there use a freemium model, which means that the free version comes with a lot of restrictions. For example, you won't be able to listen to all content and you'll have to sit through annoying ads afterwards every 2 or 3 songs.

It is important to determine what you want from a music streaming service before making a decision. Each platform offers different benefits, depending on what the listener is looking for. Otherwise, the platforms would be indistinguishable.

There are several music streaming services on the market, such as Spotify, Tidal, and Pandora. Spotify is great for listeners who want to discover new music and enjoy customized playlists that are created for them by a complex algorithm based on their listening habits. Tidal is for the audiophile with a finely tuned ear for sound quality, or the hardcore music fan who wants to have exclusive access to certain content like live-streamed performances and early album releases that cannot be found on any other service. Pandora, on the other hand, will be for anyone who enjoys and perhaps misses listening to the radio and is looking for a fun, less actively involved role in their listening experience.

What are your primary interests and needs as a music streaming service user? Are you primarily a fan of mainstream pop hits, or do you prefer more obscure, underground artists? Do you use social media on a regular basis? Do you think it would be desirable for your chosen music streaming service to also have social networking features?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, it's likely that SoundCloud is the streaming platform for you. It's unlike any other music streaming service out there, as it's mostly comprised of artists, producers, and DJs who are networking with one another, listening just as often as they are posting music of their own. It's a mutually beneficial streaming service, for fans and artists alike. And if you're pursuing a music career of your own, SoundCloud will be a necessary site for you to have a presence on.

The Largest Music Streaming Service in the World?

SoundCloud was founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, and within a decade it had become one of the world's largest music streaming services. The music streaming platform boasts 175 million monthly listeners and 75 million monthly subscribed users around the globe. This success, it would seem, was primarily achieved through offering an excellent freemium music streaming service. Let's take a look for ourselves and see if this is true.

The site's layout can initially be a little confusing. It uses a more cluttered approach than other music streaming services, and is similar to SoundCloud in that it has many features not found on other platforms. After some time using the site, however, it becomes easy to navigate. Just like with any other platform.

One of the reasons for the clutter on Sound Cloud is that as I briefly touched upon earlier, Sound Cloud is more than just a music streaming site. It is a hybrid streaming service and social network which means they have a lot of data and features to try and fit onto a single page. The way that they have opted to do this is to place their music steaming features in the center of the page, their social network features on the right-hand side, and an ever-present music player spanning the bottom of the page. This makes it convenient and not in the way.

At the center of the page, there is a list of newly featured music, a section that allows you to browse Sound Cloud charts by genre, top playlists, some suggested songs based on your listening habits, a new arrivals corner (usually dedicated to bigger artists), and trending songs for you to check out. In the social networking section of your homepage, you will find suggestions of who to follow and your own listening history. There is a lot going on as I've stated, but once you get used to it it's nothing to be intimidated about.

Free Version for Fans; Pro Version for Serious Artists

Therefore, let's address another issue that I brought up earlier regarding Sound Cloud being primarily geared towards artists. This is not to say that there will not be more than enough for you to enjoy as a listener. However, if you are planning to use Sound Cloud as a casual fan, there is probably no need for you to upgrade to a paid account. Just enjoy the site for free without any notable issues that will degrade your experience. However, if you are an artist and are considering creating a Sound Cloud account, I strongly recommend going with the Sound Cloud Pro Unlimited account. It will cost a little bit more than, say, Spotify each month?it's $12 per month billed yearly, or $16 per month billed monthly. So, it is certainly not cheap. But if you are a musician and are serious about taking your craft and career to the next level, chances are it will be a worthy investment. SoundCloud, after all, has been responsible for launching numerous successful artists' careers.

With a Sound Cloud Pro membership, you can upload an unlimited amount of any type of audio. You can also schedule releases, be featured on Sound Cloud's spotlight (AKA gain more exposure), be offered discounts on industry-standard tools and software, monetize your tracks and take advantage of exclusive Sound Cloud promotional opportunities, as well as distribute your releases across all major streaming platforms, all through Sound Cloud. Essentially, purchasing a Sound Cloud Pro account provides all the features of a record label with the added freedom to remain independent. If you are serious about taking your music career to the next level, I highly recommend looking into Sound Cloud Pro.

However, if you are not as concerned with growing your own music career, then the free version of Sound Cloud may be perfect for you. You will be able to discover tons of music, comment on people's songs, follow your favorite artists, and even send direct messages to show your appreciation.

Over 165 Million Songs!

Oh, speaking of music streaming platforms, Sound Cloud may just be the largest in the world. Whereas Spotify has 30 million songs, Apple Music has 45 million, and Tidal has 60 million; none of them come anywhere close to competing with SoundCloud?s quantity. With 125 million songs for you to choose from, you will never run out of new tunes to vibe to. Plus, of course, new songs are being added to Sound Cloud all the time; so, that number is bound to be even higher by the time you create your account. All considered, SoundCloud may not be the most convenient or easiest to navigate music streaming service that there is, but it is certainly the largest. It houses music from all of your favorite big-name artists, as well as countless tracks from underground and up and coming acts that you have yet to hear about.

If you are looking for an enormous music streaming service with the added bonus of a social network, SoundCloud's free version is perfect for you. SoundCloud Pro ($14 a month) will help you grow as an artist and step your music career up to the next level. Either way, SoundCloud is a great resource for fans and artists alike.