Four alternatives to Spotify: swapping is easier than you think | Music streaming

How do you turn over from Spotify to a different music service? What are the choices?The Guardian’s journalism is unbiased. We are going to earn a fee should you purchase one thing by way of an affiliate hyperlink. Study extra.The music business has lengthy held combined emotions about Spotify’s in depth affect over artists – and these emotions have intensified amid ongoing controversy over Spotify’s chief govt, Daniel Ek, main a €600m (A$1.07bn) funding in Helsing, a German defence expertise firm specialising in AI-driven autonomous weapon techniques.Ek can be chair of Helsing, having joined the board in 2021 when his funding fund Prima Materia put €100m into the then-startup.In response to Ek’s funding, artists and listeners have been looking for alternate options.“Fuck Spotify,” the prolific Australian psychedelic rock group King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard mentioned in a social media put up on Saturday, saying that they’d be eradicating their catalogue from the streaming service. They adopted US bands Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof, who made the identical resolution in current weeks.Whether or not you’re motivated by becoming a member of artists in leaving Spotify, otherwise you’re simply thinking about seeing the alternate options, it may appear formidable to make the change after years of being with the service.However it’s very easy. Streaming providers are likely to not have lock-in contracts, so should you’re seeking to change, step one can be cancelling your current subscription by way of the account settings. Relying on while you subscribed, you’ll be capable to maintain the premium options till the following cost is due.So what are the choices?1. Apple MusicWhen Apple Music launched, it felt clunky and restricted. But it surely has come a good distance prior to now few years, with huge enhancements to its performance, music choice (over 100m songs), radio, playlists and different options like music movies which Spotify doesn’t have.The consumer expertise now appears a lot nearer to Spotify. Apple additionally has launched lossless and spatial audio for a greater listening high quality. Lossless audio is one thing Spotify promised in 2021 however has not launched.In case you’re already within the Apple ecosystem that is positively the most suitable choice, however there’s additionally an Android app.Apple gives one month free of charge to new customers however after that subscriptions are A$12.99 (£10.99) a month, with household plans at A$19.99 (£16.99) a month. There are additionally bundled subscription offers with Apple’s different providers, resembling iCloud storage and Apple TV+.2. YouTube MusicIf you pay for a YouTube premium subscription – A$16.99 (£12.99) a month – you get YouTube Music free of charge. It has over 100m songs and also you get entry to ad-free YouTube movies together with it. It additionally has playlists and radio stations and different options you’ll see elsewhere.As with Apple Music and its ecosystem, should you’re already an Android consumer, that is a better possibility for you.‘In case you’re already an Android consumer, that is a better possibility for you’: YouTube Music. {Photograph}: Thiago Prudencio/Dax/ZumaWire/Rex/Shutterstock3. Amazon MusicAmazon Music is included in Amazon Prime for A$9.99 (£8.99) a month. This tier comes with over 100m songs, podcasts and playlists, however customers who need a extra deluxe expertise might go for the pricier class, Amazon Music Limitless, for A$12.99 (£11.99), separate from Prime membership. Limitless comes with lossless and spatial audio tracks.If you wish to keep away from giving three of the biggest tech corporations your cash, although, there are a rising variety of different choices.4. TidalTidal has at all times been pitched because the service that compensates artists the most effective and gives the best audio high quality. Like the opposite providers, it has a listing of over 100m tracks. Pricing is A$12.99 (£10.99) a month, with an optionally available add-on for DJs providing stem separation for tracks.Along with high-quality audio and all of the anticipated options, Tidal has greater than 650,000 movies and live performance stay streams.Different non-major corporations providing music listening alternate options embrace Bandcamp, Napster (sure, the previous peer-to-peer filesharing service has gone authorized), Qobuz and Pandora.Third-party providers may help with transferring playlists between totally different streaming apps. {Photograph}: Ted Hsu/AlamyTransferring playlistsThe largest difficulty for folks seeking to change is transferring your long-curated playlists. That is made simpler by way of third-party providers. If you’d like it to be quick you’ll need to pay however should you don’t have many to switch or have the time, you possibly can normally convert one playlist at a time free of charge.Widespread choices embrace the app SongShift (though it’s only out there on iOS) and Soundiiz (which runs in an internet browser). You’ll want to offer whichever app you select entry to the accounts you might be switching over however you possibly can take away entry as soon as you might be executed.The providers will normally flag if a music on the playlist can’t be discovered. Typically it’s so simple as a mismatch with the precise identify of the music and it may be discovered as a special combine or title.How effectively do the providers pay artists?The businesses are likely to maintain the details about how a lot they pay artists for every stream a carefully guarded secret however a report from business weblog Trichordist in 2020 offers us an image of the tough funds artists can anticipate.Based on the report, Spotify pays US$0.00348 a stream, Apple Music pays US$0.00675 a stream, Amazon pays US$0.00426, Google pays US$0.00554, and Tidal pays US$0.00876. Surprisingly, the health firm Peloton comes out on high of the checklist, paying US$0.03107 a stream. Napster additionally charges increased than others at US$0.00916.However if you wish to help artists extra straight, you should buy vinyl, or digital copies of the music by way of iTunes or related providers, or pay straight by way of Bandcamp or SoundCloud.