With Google Play Music’s quiet launch on April 6, every conglomerate now has a music streaming service. For music lovers, it can get confusing though, to build custom playlists and understand which algorithm that prompts new songs works best for them.
Here, we tested the lot and got this list to save you time and trouble.
Saavn
No round-up of streaming services is complete without Ranbir Kapoor’s favourite 30 million track-holding library of Saavn, rich in partnerships with Shazam, Facebook and Sony.
The American-founded service, owned by Saavn LLC and initiated in 2007, started out as a Business-to-Business platform but later moulded into a Business-to-Consumer concept with currently over 20 million active users.
‘Freemium’ users can listen freely to tunes with the occasionally party-killing ads. Going Pro costs you ₹99 a month at a 320 kbps data consumption rate without ads, and a mind-blowing listening experience with Sonos support — not bad! Saving favourite tracks for offline jamming is also available. On top of that, Saavn also offers radio access as well as a swathe of Saavn-owned video series.
The only down-side of Saavn’s interface is the usually glitchy app with its somewhat confusing UI.
Gaana
With crisp 320kbps listening experiences, a catalogue of 10 million tracks and unrivalled membership plans, Times Internet’s Gaana is one of the country’s most used apps for streaming.
At ₹279 for three months, ₹549 for six and an economical for ₹999 for a year, the multi-platform service offers a two week free trial of the HD-sound premium membership, Gaana+, where users can share the plan across five devices and reap the benefits of unlimited downloads and offline listening.
The optimally diverse library, launched in April 2010, reaches into the most niche of Indian music as well as the usual English faves. In 2013, Gaana teamed up with South Indian Music Companies Association to give listeners access to over 50,000 songs, making it a regional favourite.
Apple Music
Another one of India’s emerging choice streaming services for its sizeable library, pocket-friendly membership plans and its algorithm-based music suggestion system, Apple Music sadly lacks in the Telugu and Tamil music realms, as well as a number of Hindi hits.
Costing you only ₹120 as an Individual user and ₹190 in a Family Plan for up to six users, you can take Apple Music for a free three-month spin before paying anything.
Data usage is at about 50MB for half an hour of streaming on a 4G connection. Apple Music also offers a downloading feature which allows you to listen freely without tearing up about your data expenses.
Apple Music also welcomes Android users into its helm. However, if you are geared up with iOS devices, you can easily integrate Apple Music around your home with Apple TV, your car with CarPlay and your workspace.
Google Play Music
Google’s answer to Apple Music arrived in September last year, but the service rolled out with a paid subscription service on April 6, with the intention to support upcoming artistes, allowing them to upload 50,000 songs to share with the world.
At ₹89 per month, following a 14-day free taster of the service, Google Play Music is a multi-platform compatible service with 40 million songs, giving Apple Music a literal run for their money.
While Apple Music opens doors to new music for listeners, Google Play Music falls flat on its own face with its adherence to recommendations. However, unlike Apple Music, don’t expect any store clashes when you’re using Google Play Music whilst travelling.
Wynk
When Bharti Airtel launched multi-platform compatible Wynk in 2014’s third quarter, India jumped on board fairly quickly for its HD-ready music and data save mode.
Whether you’re dipping into the classics or reaching into the future for emerging artists, Wynk has not let its listeners down so far with ideal 320kbps available in High Definition or High Qaulity.
Wynk Plus is free with only data charges with downloads for iOS users at ₹99 per month and ₹120 for Android users. Airtel customers, with thanks to this carrier partnership model, are set back only ₹29.
Spotify
Hugely popular in the Western hemisphere for its multi-multimedia streaming capabilities, Swedish-owned Spotify launched in 2008 and now celebrates over 100 million users, 2 billion playlists, and 30 million songs *takes a breath* and does not destroy your data plan.
The multi-platform app that’s priced at around $9.99 (₹649) is available in over 60 markets — except India, though Spotify have shared numerous times on their social media that an entry into India’s market is in the works.
