[jomyboy]

Not able to vote, but my vote would have gone for YouTube music. I just have to search one particular song and play it and the rest of the music that follows is of the same vibe, which I thoroughly enjoy. Hindi songs from prior to 00's sound very average on YouTube music though.

[Turbanator]

Most of my listening is via Roon Core on some of the 2-Channel setups I have at home and office

I used to subscribe to Tidal and now moved to Qobuz. When it comes to such a hobby, nothing beats the Qobuz. Sadly, both are not able to purchase from India. If one has VPN, Tidal is possible, but for Qobuz, it's very tricky (overseas card etc.)

Posted here, though may not be relevant to most but if someone is into "these" things, get either.

[MotorDev]

As someone who truly enjoys music, I actively use both YouTube Music and Spotify. However, my vote goes to Spotify due to its exceptional music quality and the extensive customization options it offers. While other applications may be satisfactory, Spotify truly stands out by providing an indulgent experience. From offering spot-on song recommendations to delivering the finest music quality, what's even more impressive is the ability to fine-tune the music quality according to your preference. Unfortunately, YouTube Music lacks this level of personalized customization. As for Apple Music, in my opinion, it has become somewhat outdated.

When comparing YouTube Music and Spotify, it's evident that Spotify takes the lead in numerous aspects:

YouTube MUSIC

[PreludeSH]

Voted for Spotify. Used to listen to Amazon Music before. Spotify has extensive album/artist/playlist combinations. I like the suggestive lists it comes up with where it combines Kannada, English and Hindi from a decade. It also makes up list of artists across languages based on my listening.

[nicodash]

I first set up a playlist on Amazon Music, but earlier this year, I made the switch to YouTube Music. Their music selection and suggestion system just seemed to click better for me. Plus, I went ahead and got YouTube Premium. So now, I'm all in on YT Music.

Since I use Android Auto setup, it's like a match made in musical heaven. When I start the car, the phone and the car sync up, and the music starts playing right from where I left it. No need to open an app or hit any buttons – the playlist keeps playing on loop and shuffle. If, for some odd reason, the music doesn't kick in automatically (like if I've messed up the queue by playing something else on YT Music), I simply use voice control and say, "Play 'My Playlist,'" because that's what I named the playlist. It's a pretty intuitive setup.
If ever want to play some different music, voice search works really well due to their seamless Google Assistant integration.

[Sumer]

I use Apple music on my iPad with a headphone dac/amp and my headphones plugged into it. There is no easier way to get lossless audio AFAIK and I love it. For my Brezza with the aftermarket amps, components and sub, Apple music through AUX. For my XUV700, anything will do as it is wireless

[Shoury A Dasari]

We're an all-Apple family. There isn't a single Android or Windows device in the house. We use Apple Music, because, well, that's what we've been doing forever. However, the lossless sound quality and Spatial Audio really impress us. I am an audiophile and I can hear every harmony, every note in ultimate clarity. Each harmony comes from a slightly different direction and it is amazing, to say the least.

[inwester]

Here are the music streaming services I have used as a paid subscriber.

1) Spotify - user since 08/2011
$14.99/month - Probably the largest collection of them all, good music discovery, great streaming quality. Everyone in the family likes Spotify, especially kids. One main reason is that both the cars we use have Spotify built in, so using it comes by default.
I will rate this 10/10.

2) Saavn - user since 11/2015
$40/year - Mainly subscribed for Indian music, I quite like this. Streaming and download quality can be a hit or miss, but has the best Indian music collection.
I will rate this 8/10.

3) Amazon Music Unlimited - user since 05/2018
$89/year or $8.99/month, on top of Prime membership of $140/year. I can't recall why I got this, probably for kids to use the Alexa/Echo devices. Well, I just cancelled it today. I has decent collection and integration with Alexa devices is great, but most music apps are supported anyway, so its not really an advantage.
I will rate this 6/10.

4) Apple Music - user since 05/2023
Comes with my cellphone plan, but otherwise $10.99/month. I hate the app, their algorithm, playlist curation, discovery etc. Kids don't like Apple Music as well and prefers Spotify.
I will give rate 4/10.

Lot of folks here seem to like YouTube music, I never gave it a try, but between Spotify and Saavn most of my music needs are met.

[vellatechie]

Ive been using Spotify for 7 odd years now and it's perfect with regards to the recommendation and the UI/UX.
I use it for music as well as ocassional podcast.

Apple Music quality is great but it's UX and the recommendation engine is just garbage. Also, when I transferred my Playlist to Apple Music from spotify, it didn't have 80% of the the songs.

And based on the comments here I guess I should give YouTube music another shot.

[dust-n-bones]

Some people here have commented that they care about sound quality. Like Apple Music users.
Can you also describe your setup, since if it involves an iphone, the bluetooth is going to make the sound quality of your music service irrelevant.

How do you extract that high quality audio into headphones/speakers? The only viable path I've found so far that involves phones is to use android and a custom audio driver called USB Audio Player Pro.

[thallipolivandi]

I've been using Spotify premium for more than 3 years now, and have had a very good experience all through.

I prefer Android to iOS on phones, and have generally avoided Apple Music, or any Apple subscription services, so can't compare Spotify and Apple Music.

Youtube Music, I have tried, and I prefer Spotify. Before Spotify, I was a user of Google Play Music, and the entirety of my music collection was uploaded onto it, including playlists. Google decided to kill GPM one morning and that was that. I don't trust Google with any of their services; they chop and change far too much for my liking.

Spotify's Radio feature is excellent for discovering similar music. The Auto-Updating Playlists are quite nice as well. And they also provide the option to download your songs to the SD card, and I keep my large collection of 'Liked Songs' downloaded on my SD card.

Another of Spotify's advantages is the availability of third party tools to customize your music playlists. Personally, I use a tool called 'Smarter Playlists' to generate playlists automatically and keep them updated regularly without any intervention from my part. It's extremely powerful. This is similar to the 'Smart Playlists' feature that is available on 'iTunes' software (now 'Music' app) on macOS (and Windows I presume); a bunch of preset rules, generating and updating playlists automatically.

I've used Amazon Music, but not extensively enough to claim any pro or con to it, but experience was not better than Spotify, and didn't feel the need to continue using it when I had Spotify Premium as well.

Only issue I have with Spotify is that one of their Indian licensing deals expired this year, and they have not been able to renew it. A few of my favourite bollywood songs are thus grayed out, and have been so for a few months now.

[Mathan1130]

I have been Spotify for 3 years .. I just love it!

Key features and aspects of Spotify include:

1.Music Library: Spotify boasts an extensive collection of millions of songs from various artists and genres, catering to a diverse range of musical tastes.

2. Streaming: Users can stream music on demand over the internet, allowing them to listen to their Favorite tracks and discover new ones instantly.

3. Offline Listening: Premium users can download songs and playlists to their devices, allowing them to listen to music even when they're not connected to the internet.

4. Geographical Availability: Spotify is available in numerous countries around the world, though the specific availability may vary depending on licensing agreements and regulations.


Thanks !

[Hayek]

I use Amazon Music. Why? Included free with my Amazon Prime subscription, allows me to look up Playlists on my X3 iDrive (old one without Apple Car Play), great selection of Rock and Grunge as well as 70d and 80s Pop, and very good music quality. My wife uses Apple Music and I think I can access that too given our Family Subscription - but I have very rarely used it myself. If my wife is controlling the music, it would usually be Apple Music.

[binand]

Originally Posted by nicodash

When I start the car, the phone and the car sync up, and the music starts playing right from where I left it. No need to open an app or hit any buttons

I think this is Android's mandated behaviour - all media apps seem to do this. Spotify does it, and so does JetAudio+ (which is what I use for on-device music). BeyondPod (my Podcast app) does it too. The one time I tried Audible also did this.

[kaushikduttajsr]

I started with Amazon Music. Until 2017 atleast, their library was pretty limited. The final nail in the coffin was when they decided to randomly delete my downloaded library.

I switched to Spotify family plan and have been with it since 2017 Dec. They have the most amazing recommender system - no AI can match them. Know why? Spotify has a team to curate Playlist and categorise songs. I don't think anyone has else has the "decade" playlist concept where you can relive a time of your life. I just love their recommender algo.