Updated on December 10, 2021
Here’s an updated look (since almost a year ago) at what music services I’m using these days.
These days, my choice of audio services include:
TuneIn Radio
I use TuneIn Radio’s mobile app and website for two purposes: listening to NPR, and listening to Chicago Blackhawks hockey games (on Chicago’s WGN radio).
Spotify
I still sometimes use Pandora, but my streaming audio usage has largely shifted to Spotify’s free version. The main reason: Spotify has a larger library than Pandora, and Pandora was starting to feel repetitive. One drawback is that unlike its web player, Spotify’s mobile app features are heavily restricted (versus Pandora, Google Play Music, etc.) unless one pays for a subscription, which costs $10/month.
YouTube
I still use YouTube to hear songs from new artists. It also serves as a way of deciding whether or not it’s worth buying their music. Yes, I still buy music on occasion.
Amazon Music
I haven’t bought anything from Amazon Music in awhile, but thought they were still worth listing. Amazon Music offers music at an inexpensive price. There’s also a Spotify-like streaming audio service for Amazon Prime customers, which I haven’t tried; Amazon’s Prime streaming library is more Pandora-like than Spotify-like in size.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is Google’s music store/player, and the company’s answer to Apple’s iTunes. These days, it’s become my main music player on my Android phone and on all of my computers, including the Mac Mini (replacing iTunes). The cross-platform support for all of my devices makes it easier to use Google Play Music, as well as creating playlists, etc. Google Play Music also lets me keep a copy of my entire music collection stored online, though I still have a localized backup on my external hard drive.
Freegal
Freegal is still available through public libraries. The service offers a selection of free music, especially songs from Sony’s music label. My local library’s raised the number of songs that can be downloaded from three a week to five.
Stitcher
Stitcher is a website that offers a podcast service, which is what I use to listen to NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” on my devices. It’s replaced iTunes for podcast purposes on my Mac Mini. With VLC on my Mac for playing videos, I rarely need to fire up or use iTunes anymore.
Conclusion
That sums up my current music services situation. Google Play, TuneIn Radio, Spotify, and Stitcher get the most use out of the above, though all of the above services are cross-platform, and thus are available on all of my devices.
What music services are you using?
