Sixty-Eight million people paid for music subscription services in 2015 compared to 8 million in 2010, according to a 2016 global music report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. With this level of demand for digital music streaming/downloading services, many companies have grown and expanded in order to supply consumers with a collection of music on their smartphones.
“I use Spotify because it’s free to stream and I can make my own playlists. I couldn’t use it last year though because it was blocked by the school Wi-Fi along with Pandora and Soundcloud,” senior Matt Conoway said.
Spotify is free for streaming, but access to downloads and other features that the app has to offer, such as curator playlists and unlimited streaming, are $10 a month. Spotify was blocked last year by the school Wi-Fi because it was deemed to be unproductive and distracting, but this year students are able to use it.
“I use Apple music because it’s $10 a month and you get early and exclusive releases along with other features that Spotify doesn’t give you,” junior Nic Conde said.
Apple music is $10 a month for streaming, downloading, music videos, artist content, interviews, radio and all other features. Apple music partners with hundreds of musicians in order to ensure exclusive and early releases that are unavailable anywhere else.
“I use Tidal because it’s the only place that I can hear Jay Z anymore, also because it is no longer blocked by the school’s Wi-Fi,” junior Reid Herndon said.
Tidal Music is Jay Z’s newest empire. Tidal claims to pay artists higher royalties than competitors like Spotify, and it has an emphasis on surfacing up-and-coming artists with a platform called Tidal Discover. However, Tidal is $10 a month for standard definition audio, and $20 a month for the same high definition audio that Spotify and Apple music promise in their basic packages.
