Streaming Music Services

[lordxizor]

I'm trying to find a music streaming service that will meet my needs, but it's hard to find all of the information that I need and I'm sure I'm missing some services.

I use Spotify right now, but I am greatly annoyed by the lack of smart playlists and the limit of 3,333 songs for offline listening per device. These two things are really dealbreakers for me and I want to find a better service.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a streaming service that will meet my needs? Must work on Android, must have unlimited (or very high, >10,000) number of songs for offline listening, must allow smart playlists (e.g. playlist contains all songs that have not been played in the last 3 months).

Thanks!

[wolfking]

I use Spotify right now, but I am greatly annoyed by the lack of smart playlists and the limit of 3,333 songs for offline listening per device. These two things are really dealbreakers for me and I want to find a better service.

Wow dude, it's a free service and this annoys you?

The days of the compact disc really are gone aren't they?

[Sacul]

I use Spotify right now, but I am greatly annoyed by the lack of smart playlists and the limit of 3,333 songs for offline listening per device. These two things are really dealbreakers for me and I want to find a better service.

Wow dude, it's a free service and this annoys you?

Offline songs are available only on the premium version 

[lordxizor]

I use Spotify right now, but I am greatly annoyed by the lack of smart playlists and the limit of 3,333 songs for offline listening per device. These two things are really dealbreakers for me and I want to find a better service.

Wow dude, it's a free service and this annoys you?

The days of the compact disc really are gone aren't they?

I pay $10 a moth for the service, so yes, it annoys me. I don't have enough data to stream everything and I want to be able to choose what I listen to when I'm listening, not before I leave for the day.

And yes, CDs days are numbered.

[Bolsters]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

[lordxizor]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

[wolfking]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

That's because you're paying $10 a month for thousands and thousands of songs.

I guess I'm in just another realm so I'll step out of this thread.  No wonder musicians aren't making money anymore.

[Sacul]

Maybe Apple Music would suit your needs 

[lordxizor]

Maybe Apple Music would suit your needs 

It might actually. I realize most people don't care for it, but I'm giving the beta version for Android a try. The first beta version flat out didn't work at all on my phone. The recent update seems to work, but it's pretty slow. I'll give it a try through the free trail. There doesn't appear to be any liit on downloads, which is great. I'm not sure if smart playlists I have in iTunes travel over.

[Art]

I use Spotify premium and it suits me fine.

[ariich]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

That's because you're paying $10 a month for thousands and thousands of songs.

I guess I'm in just another realm so I'll step out of this thread.  No wonder musicians aren't making money anymore.

No I'm with you entirely wolf, and I use and love Spotify. £10 or $10 a month (much better value in the US, grr) is great value for the amount of music available and ease of offline syncing. If you need more than 3,333 tracks synced offline at a time, that suggests that perhaps you might want to occasionally buy some music.

[Evermind]

Uh, yeah, when I've read that first I thought it was "3.333" spins per song and was confused - like I don't know how it works but apparently you can't spin the same song more than three times. If it's actual 3000+ songs for offline listening, well, that's a damn lot for $10. Let's say it's 10 songs per album, so that means you get 333 albums for $10. Bloody hell.

Spotify isn't available in Russia though, so I'll stick to buying my CDs anyway.

[Kotowboy]

I use Deezer right now because 3 mobile gave all their customers six months of premium.

It seems great. You get more audio options too.

I'll see if I want to pay £10 a month after my free 6 months is up but I'm enjoying it right now.

[lordxizor]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

That's because you're paying $10 a month for thousands and thousands of songs.

I guess I'm in just another realm so I'll step out of this thread.  No wonder musicians aren't making money anymore.

No I'm with you entirely wolf, and I use and love Spotify. £10 or $10 a month (much better value in the US, grr) is great value for the amount of music available and ease of offline syncing. If you need more than 3,333 tracks synced offline at a time, that suggests that perhaps you might want to occasionally buy some music.

In all fairnes, artists probably make more money off me with Spotify than when I bought music. They make a fraction of a cent for every track I listen to, but I listen to over a thousand a month. Previously I purchased an album every month or two with half that money going to Apple or Amazon.

[wolfking]

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

That's because you're paying $10 a month for thousands and thousands of songs.

I guess I'm in just another realm so I'll step out of this thread.  No wonder musicians aren't making money anymore.

No I'm with you entirely wolf, and I use and love Spotify. £10 or $10 a month (much better value in the US, grr) is great value for the amount of music available and ease of offline syncing. If you need more than 3,333 tracks synced offline at a time, that suggests that perhaps you might want to occasionally buy some music.

Uh, yeah, when I've read that first I thought it was "3.333" spins per song and was confused - like I don't know how it works but apparently you can't spin the same song more than three times. If it's actual 3000+ songs for offline listening, well, that's a damn lot for $10. Let's say it's 10 songs per album, so that means you get 333 albums for $10. Bloody hell.

Spotify isn't available in Russia though, so I'll stick to buying my CDs anyway.

Thank you fellas.  Thought I was in a bizarro world for a minute.

What's more annoying about it is that the premium service actually allows 10,000 songs to be downloaded for offline listening, Spotify just won't let you put more than 3,333 on any single device. Being able to go all the way up to 10,000 on one device would be much more enticing.

No kidding. It looks like people have been complaining about this for a really long time, so it doesn't appear this will be changing anytime soon.

That's because you're paying $10 a month for thousands and thousands of songs.

I guess I'm in just another realm so I'll step out of this thread.  No wonder musicians aren't making money anymore.

No I'm with you entirely wolf, and I use and love Spotify. £10 or $10 a month (much better value in the US, grr) is great value for the amount of music available and ease of offline syncing. If you need more than 3,333 tracks synced offline at a time, that suggests that perhaps you might want to occasionally buy some music.

In all fairnes, artists probably make more money off me with Spotify than when I bought music. They make a fraction of a cent for every track I listen to, but I listen to over a thousand a month. Previously I purchased an album every month or two with half that money going to Apple or Amazon.

Then why are artists saying that services like Spotify is killing the livelihood of musicians?

[Dark Castle]

Because only the biggest of the big really make anything that amounts to anything.

[jingle.boy]

Spotify is good for Tier 1 artists, the labels, and for the listeners.  Spotify themselves isn't even making money.

And yeah, I'm a combo Spotify (premium) and purchaser.  I ONLY listen to Spotify online, and when I'm offline, I play something from the 120GB of music that I own.  I have the luxury of working from home, so my streaming doesn't hit my mobile device plan, but my home internet service... no need of ever listening to more than 320GB of music per month.

@ Rich... you're getting rooked at £10.  If only you has a US or Canadian payment source - as Premium allows you to listen outside of your home country - but you'd need a USD or CAD payment type.  It's $12 CAD, which is (at current fx) cheaper than $10 USD.

[lordxizor]

Then why are artists saying that services like Spotify is killing the livelihood of musicians?

I think the problem is that instead of my $10 a month going all to one artist by buying their album, it is spread out among dozens of artists. So each artist is making peanuts from me, but overall, I support the music industry at a higher level.

[lordxizor]

Because only the biggest of the big really make anything that amounts to anything.

This has always been the case though. I remember reading once that (in the old days before streaming) a band with 4 guys, an album that went gold, who went on a tour through small to medium venues would be lucky to net $30k each a year. And for every band at that level, there's 100 that are struggling even more. Music has never been about the money except for the handful of superstar acts.

[wolfking]

I guess that's all true.  Just thinking how much work and time goes into an album, I've always wanted to support the artists and buy the cd's but I guess that doesn't mean much anyway.  Any money goes to the record companies these days anyway.

[mrrct]

I will always have a soft spot for Pandora (the free, non-Premium service).  It is through them that I discovered Kamelot, Symphony X, and all of the female-fronted, symphonic metal bands.  The problem is that they play many of the same songs every time I turn it on, and I find myself giving a lot of them thumbs down.  And since I have most of these bands' discographies at this point, there's not a lot of point to listen to it anymore.

[lordxizor]

I've never been a fan of Pandora. I feel like it never makes good suggestions based on what I like.

[Lowdz]

Spotify is good for Tier 1 artists, the labels, and for the listeners.  Spotify themselves isn't even making money.

And yeah, I'm a combo Spotify (premium) and purchaser.  I ONLY listen to Spotify online, and when I'm offline, I play something from the 120GB of music that I own.  I have the luxury of working from home, so my streaming doesn't hit my mobile device plan, but my home internet service... no need of ever listening to more than 320GB of music per month.

@ Rich... you're getting rooked at £10.  If only you has a US or Canadian payment source - as Premium allows you to listen outside of your home country - but you'd need a USD or CAD payment type.  It's $12 CAD, which is (at current fx) cheaper than $10 USD.

Everything is more X pensive over here.  When I bought my Ibanez Jem I bought it from the states. Even with a huge shipping fee I saved a shitload of money.

[bl5150]

Spotify is good for Tier 1 artists, the labels, and for the listeners.  Spotify themselves isn't even making money.

And yeah, I'm a combo Spotify (premium) and purchaser.  I ONLY listen to Spotify online, and when I'm offline, I play something from the 120GB of music that I own.  I have the luxury of working from home, so my streaming doesn't hit my mobile device plan, but my home internet service... no need of ever listening to more than 320GB of music per month.

@ Rich... you're getting rooked at £10.  If only you has a US or Canadian payment source - as Premium allows you to listen outside of your home country - but you'd need a USD or CAD payment type.  It's $12 CAD, which is (at current fx) cheaper than $10 USD.

Everything is more X pensive over here.  When I bought my Ibanez Jem I bought it from the states. Even with a huge shipping fee I saved a shitload of money.

Same in Australia - even for digital media we often pay double.......presumably just "because they can"

[wolfking]

Legit digital media over here seems almost the same price as getting the cd.  From what I've seen anyway.

[bl5150]

I thought you had a cheaper legit source in Siberia or something 

[wolfking]

Shhhhh....

[Prog Snob]

Thank you fellas.  Thought I was in a bizarro world for a minute.

I'm with you, also. Spotify has been my program of choice for streaming music for a while now and I have no complaints at all. $10 a month for everything we get is a steal. ONE new CD costs more than that so what's the problem?     When Spotify eventually decides to make it 10,000, someone will be complaining that it's not 15,000.   

[dparrott]

I still listen to CD's in my car, but at work I listen to Pandora or AccuRadio, both free.

[Kotowboy]

I still buy CDs but use Spotify etc for music I don't have OR don't have synced to my iPhone at that moment.

[wolfking]

Thank you fellas.  Thought I was in a bizarro world for a minute.

I'm with you, also. Spotify has been my program of choice for streaming music for a while now and I have no complaints at all. $10 a month for everything we get is a steal. ONE new CD costs more than that so what's the problem?     When Spotify eventually decides to make it 10,000, someone will be complaining that it's not 15,000.   

My thoughts exactly.

[Dark Castle]

Alright, I've got a question for anybody who knows anything about Apple Music, as I can't find an answer online.

I got a new iPhone today and I went to my music, which shows albums I've purchased but every time I try and download them to my phone, it tells me I have to subscribe to Apple Music, and I can't listen to them if I'm not on wifi or make them available offline without getting a prompt to subscribe to Apple Music. Can I seriously not download albums from the cloud anymore that I've already bought? I'm going to just sync my phone in a bit anyways but if that's the case, I'm pretty miffed.

[TioJorge]

No way... There's something up with that. If you haven't synced it to your account through iTunes then that's probably the reason but even then...you should be able to to log into your account through iTunes on your phone and that should be that, all your music should be readily available. Apple Music and iTunes are two separate entities. As in...if you so please (like I do sometimes to support the artists I like even further), you can be subscribed to AM, download an album and have it on your phone, and then 'buy' the album separately on the iTunes store; or visa versa, buy the album beforehand and it'll be fused in with your AM collection when you subscribe and download music at a later point.

I've never encountered anything like that. Try going under Settings>Music and turning off 'Show Apple Music' and/or go to 'My Music' and towards the top there's the tab to show either 'Artists/Album/Songs' etc., tapping on that tab will bring up the options to show the aforementioned, and at the bottom will be an option to 'Show Only Offline Music'. I'm not sure if that'd help but it's worth a try if nothing else works.

It sounds like a syncing issue, though I'm not sure why it's not showing your bought music if you're logged in under your iTunes account on your phone. Try the syncing to your 'hub', and after that try the aforementioned Settings tweaks and if all that doesn't work...I'm not too sure what the issue could be. But they're definitely separate, my dad just got a new iPhone a few weeks ago and I walked him through the steps to download music and whatnot and he was able to download all his old music he'd bought on iTunes years ago right to his phone without being subscribed to AM. Hope any of this helped at all... Good luck!

On the topic...I'm not sure if it'd be applicable at all since you have Android, but I myself love Apple Music a lot. There are zero restrictions on downloading, streaming, and out the 150 GB of music I currently have, about a quarter of that is from finding new music through AM and I've encountered maybe one or two indie albums from bands that aren't really well established yet that aren't on AM.... Oh! And fucking Tool. Of course.  But as far as music available as well as downloading it, AM has been much better for me than any other service. I talked about this a while back in the now defunct AM thread I started but back then I hadn't actually tried any other services and now that I have, they're great but AM is the one for me. Now granted, I've been on iTunes for a very long time and have music through them already, but the fact that I could have that collection I've bought, then have Apple Music just to explore and download music I wouldn't normally try, along with having a 'radio' that is based off of music I've tried on AM (or just going in blind and listening to whatever), download an unlimited amount (er...as much as my device can handle, rather), have playlists that are integrated from already created ones (by other users on AM, professional music peeps, 'recommended', etc.) to ones that I have specifically through AM both online and offline...I really have zero to complain about. Nothing is perfect, but this is pretty damn close to all I could ask for in a 'streaming' service, and it really goes beyond streaming when you get down to the nitty gritty. Pretty much everything I have from AM is now offline simply because I'm on the road a lot these days and don't feel like using even the minute amount it takes through my network, but having the option do to both at my leisure without any restrictions is supremely convenient. Last night right at midnight when it released I downloaded the new Live at Royal Albert Hall concert from Devin Townsend without a hitch, integrated my favorites into an already created offline playlist and it automatically downloaded the songs to offline since I had the entire playlist as an offline only one. It's just really nice. *Wipes off Apple's smile from face; slurping sounds ensue*

[lordxizor]

I don't think anyone is going to have much sympathy for me, but Apple Music isn't going to work for me either. It doesn't allow you to download files to an SD card, so I only have enough free space for about 500 songs. On to Google Play Music. Hopefully this one will meet my needs.

[wolfking]

I don't think anyone is going to have much sympathy for me, but Apple Music isn't going to work for me either. It doesn't allow you to download files to an SD card, so I only have enough free space for about 500 songs. On to Google Play Music. Hopefully this one will meet my needs.

Perhaps your needs are unrealistic.