Features in Free and Premium Version of Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music
Modern technology has become a big part of our life. Technology that continues to develop rapidly has influenced our lifestyle, including the way we listen to music. In the past, we had to buy a physical album or vinyl. There is also another option if you don’t want to spend a lot of money listening to music, which is to listen to radio stations. The downside is, we cannot choose the song as we please. Then, the times began to change where we could download songs and store them on our phones. Those methods have an identical downside; they are unpractical, and they have a limited music catalog.
Music streaming services emerged around a decade ago, answering our need for music and adapting to technological developments. Since it first appeared, many people were interested, and they started to shift to using it. Providing simplicity in enjoying music everywhere & anytime, no wonder people are turning to music streaming. There is an extensive range of streaming services to choose from, with services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music providing immense access to large music catalogs that can be streamed over the internet or downloaded to your device for offline listening.
Every streaming service has its uniqueness, and choosing the best out of them might be overwhelming. For this reason, comparing their prices and features is one way to decide which music streaming service is the most suitable one.
FREE VERSION FEATURE
Spotify’s free version gives access to all contents such as radio, playlist, and podcast that the user can save to their custom playlist. The downside of its free version is that it does not allow the user to play music on-demand because the default setting is shuffle mode. The limit on shuffling songs per hour is six times with an advertisement per 36 songs.
Apple user who already has songs collection on their iCloud don’t need to worry about Apple Music’s free version since the data can be synced. Hence, streaming the music is not required. However, the free version only allows access to its radio stations with ads between songs and skip six songs per hour.
The free version of YouTube Music gives the user the freedom to choose all songs with an ad for 36 songs. The YouTube Music application must always be open during its use and cannot run in the background. This can drain the phone battery.
PREMIUM VERSION PRICING & FEATURE
If the free versions are not enough, there is always a paid option that provides more service, better quality, and no advertisement.
Spotify Premium offers five plan options. Including the Premium Mini plan (IDR 2,500/day), the Individual plan (IDR 54,990/month), the Duo plan (IDR 64,990/month), the Family plan (IDR 79,000/month), and the Student plan (IDR 24,990/month). The plans, except for the mini one, have one month trial before payment. Each of these plans grants you access to over 50 million songs (as well as podcasts and audiobooks) as well as all other features, such as on-demand playback, song downloads, offline listening, and more. There are the Daily Mix playlists, which are organized by listening habits and frequently listened to genres.
Apple Music’s premium service is divided into three basic plans, each with a three-month free trial before payment. The Student plan (IDR 29,000/month) and the Individual plan (IDR 49,000/month) enable the user to listen to over 70 million songs while being online or offline without ad interruption across all devices. Both plans also allow downloading songs to the library, seeing friends’ activity, listening to Beats 1 radio shows, and accessing original content and exclusives. The Family plan (IDR 75,000/month) has all of that plus personal accounts for up to six family members and streaming and library music sharing.
YouTube Music Premium offers a one-month free trial before payment. The Individual plan (IDR 49,000/month), the Family plan (IDR 75,000/month), and the student plan (IDR 24,990/month for up to five users). Unlike the free version, the premium version allows the user to play music in the background. Meaning that it can be used while opening other apps or when the phone is locked. At a glance, YouTube Music looks similar to Spotify and Apple Music in terms of its music library. However, YouTube Music has features that are not available anywhere else; the ability to switch between an audio track and the video that goes with it. All videos or audios under the music category are available for streaming, including song covers, deep cuts, and even rare international tracks.
Overall, the free version of these music streaming services has one similarity; they are powered by advertisement. So, if you don’t mind being interrupted by ads playing in between, then the free plan might be enough. The paid versions offer many great advantages as well, and you can adjust to your needs and preferences.
Sources:
The Big 6 Music Streaming Services Compared — Which One Is Right for You? — Review Geek
Spotify Premium — Spotify (ID)
Apple Music — Apple (ID)
Music Premium — YouTube
