The music streaming market is more than ever on the rise. At the end of 2020, the market represented 62.1% of revenues related to the music industry worldwide.
The proliferation of listening platforms, paid or free, offers millions of titles just a click away and revives a moribund music industry. In France, streaming has overtaken record sales: online sales are taking off and vinyl is enjoying a second life. They are a few to share the sector: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon Music Unlimited, Youtube Music, Qobuz or Soundclound. Everyone is not outdone in terms of catalog and listening quality, so here is a quick overview of the main music streaming offers.
Spotify
Proposed offers:
- Spotify Free – Free
- Spotify Premium Student – €4.99/month
- Spotify Premium Personal – €9.99/month
- Spotify Duo Premium – €12.99/month
- Spotify Family – €15.99/month (up to six connected accounts)
Catalog :
No matter which plan you choose, Spotify Premium provides access to more 70 million tracks and 3.8 million podcasts, to enjoy his music without any advertising and even offline. Despite this impressive catalog, the green giant is not resting on its laurels and continues to develop.
The platform launched a few months ago its Duo offer, designed specifically for those who live together. It also allows Premium users to enjoy their music together, with a new synchronized listening feature.
The family offer has also been invited to the game. In addition to being able to share a subscription with six people living under the same roof, it is possible, thanks to this same subscription, to create a Spotify Kids account.
Listening quality:
- 96 kbps
- 160 kb/s on the mobile application in high quality
- 320 kb/s for Premium accounts.
- Available on all platforms, including smart speakers with Spotify Connect.
By: Spotify Ltd.
Deezer
The platform made in France was the first to embark on the adventure in 2007. On the other hand, it was in 2009, with the signing of partnerships with the majors, that Deezer really took off.
Proposed offers:
- Deezer Free
- Deezer Student – €5.99/month
- Deezer Premium – €10.99/month
- Deezer Family – €17.99/month (up to six profiles, with three months free)
- Deezer Premium Annual – €98.88 (compared to €131.88 normally)
Catalog :
With 90 million titles available, Deezer offers one of the best catalogs on the market, and above all, a real place for discovery and new releases. Despite a less intuitive interface than Spotify, Deezer not only offers a relevant suggestion service, but also a real editorial force, which highlights a lot of live sessions and new releases.
The Deezer HiFi offer which also allowed access to millions of titles in lossless FLAC format, for an incomparable listening quality to cease to exist. The latter has merged with the Deezer Premium and Deezer Family offer, which has resulted in a slight increase in the price of these two offers. Note that to fully benefit from this audio quality, you will need to have a compatible audio device such as those mentioned on this page.
Listening quality:
- 128 kb/s (freemium offer)
- 320 kb/s (paid offer)
- FLAC
AppleMusic
The apple brand launched into music streaming in June 2015 and is already one of the heavyweights in the sector despite the absence of a free offer.
Proposed offers:
- Voice – €4.99/month
- Student – €4.99/month
- Individual – €9.99/month
- Family – €14.99/month (up to six connected accounts)
Catalog :
Despite its lack of a free offer, Apple Music stands out especially among fans of the Apple brand, by offering a non-binding offer, and with three months of free trial. 60 million titles are accessible without advertising and for download (up to 100,000 songs) for offline listening.
The platform’s interface appears to be more human than the competition, with suggestions and a terribly effective listening algorithm. Accessible from the entire Apple ecosystem, the offer also offers many exclusive and original content.
Apple Music also stands out with a “karaoke” system that displays live lyrics, radio stations from around the world, and support for multiple platforms (CarPlay, download directly to Apple Watch, etc.) Finally, we can note the compatibility with Siri which expands the possibilities.
Listening quality:
- High efficiency – HE-AAC (to save data)
- High quality – AAC 256 kbps
- Lossless – ALAC up to 24-bit/48kHz
- High quality lossless – ALAC up to 24 bit / 192 kHz
YouTubeMusic
YouTube’s name is so synonymous with video today that it would be easy to overlook the musical side of its business. Slowly, but surely, the platform has made its mark thanks to its flagship feature, which allows Premium users to continue listening to music while locking their smartphone screen. Youtube Music is also the replacement for Google Play Music which has just closed.
Proposed offers:
- YouTube Music Premium – €9.99/month
- YouTube Music Premium Student – €4.99/month (annual check)
- YouTube Music Premium Family – €14.99/month (up to five connected accounts)
Catalog :
Available on mobiles and computers, YouTube Music uses the interface of the classic YouTube application widely known to Internet users, and not only allows you to listen to millions of titles, but also to watch almost as many official clips. Two months of free trial are offered before getting your hands on the wallet (except for the family offer, one month only), and as with the competition, it is possible to enjoy unlimited music without any advertising, and even offline download.
Listening quality :
- 48 kb/s to 256 kb/s in AAC depending on the connection and the type of download
Amazon Music Unlimited
After Google and Apple, Amazon entered the music streaming market without much surprise, and despite a somewhat late arrival in France, the e-commerce giant is also starting to do well.
Proposed offers:
- Amazon Music Echo – €3.99/month
- Amazon Music Unlimited – €9.99/month
- Amazon Music Family – €14.99/month (up to 6 accounts)
Catalog :
With 90 million titles available, and a compatibility specifically designed for Alexa voice assistants, Amazon Music Unlimited allows you to listen to music from a large library of recent or older titles. Accessible without advertising and unlimited, it is possible, as with the competition, to enjoy titles offline via download. Note that the Echo offer offered by the service includes music listening on a single device from the Echo or Fire TV range.
Listening quality:
By: Amazon Mobile LLC
Qobuz
The second Frenchie in the ranking is more confidential, but also well known to sound lovers. This is the platform for CSP+ music lovers/audiophiles. Yes, because high definition quality at a price.
Proposed offers:
- Studio Premier Solo – €12.99/month with a one-year commitment (€155.88/year) or €14.99/month without commitment (€179.88/year)
- Studio Premier Duo – €17.50/month with a one-year commitment (€210/year) or €19.99/month without commitment (€239.88/year)
- Premier Family Studio – €20.83/month with a one-year commitment (€249.96/year) or €24.99/month without commitment (€299.88/year)
- Studio Sublime Solo – €16.67/month with a one-year commitment (€200.04/year)
- Studio Sublime Duo – €24.99/month with a one-year commitment (€299.88/year)
- Studio Sublime Famille- €29.17/month with a one-year commitment (€350.04/year)
Catalog :
On Qobuz, quality certainly has a price, but it is indeed there. With 80 million titles available, including more than 70,000 albums in 24-bit hi-res quality, the platform not only offers a large listening catalog for streaming and download, but also titles for final purchase. A premium offer to be reserved for the most demanding.
Besides that, the Qobuz Studio Sublime offer offers the same functionalities and services as the Studio Premier offer with the possibility of having up to 60% off when purchasing an album in Hi-quality. res.
Listening quality:
- 320 kbps
- FLAC 16-Bit 44.1kHz
- FLAC 24-Bit up to 192 kHz (from Studio offer)
Soundcloud
Launched in August 2007, Soundcloud focuses on independent and/or more confidential productions, while also offering the latest commercial titles of the moment. To be reserved for professionals and lovers of electro and/or underground.
Proposed offers:
- SoundCloud Basic – Free
- SoundCloud Go – €5.99/month
- SoundCloud Go+ – €9.99/month
- SoundCloud Go+ Student – €4.99/month
- SoundCloud Pro Unlimited – €8.25/month with a one-year commitment or €11/month without commitment
Catalog :
With its 200 million tracks to listen to, Soundcloud gives pride of place to independent music. More confidential than most competing services, the platform makes it possible to unearth titles that cannot be found elsewhere. The service also offers a large radio and amateur offer.
Listening quality:
- 128 kbps
- 256 kb/s AAC (for SoundCloud Go+ subscribers)
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