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General discussion

Which music streaming service do you use?

Mar 31, 2015 10:18AM PDT
Poll: Which music streaming service do you use?
A. Pandora
B. Spotify
C. Beats Music
D. iTunes
E. Google Play
F. Other


Be sure to read "Jay Z's Tidal music service makes star-studded splash" before you comment below. There are dozens of music streaming services, so please feel free to comment with what you use and why you prefer it.

Note: This post was edited by its original author on 04/01/2015 at 9:47 AM PT

Discussion is locked

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I don't REALLY care.
Mar 31, 2015 11:22AM PDT

I don't know, call me old, but I find iHeart or what I load on my iPhone good for me. I think that if there is something new coming out, the regular folk like me will just get it a little later.

Leon

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Re: Tidal
Mar 31, 2015 11:30AM PDT

My hunch...users will pay $0. The percentage of listeners willing and able to discern an audible difference will not sustain this model. Those listeners I would speculate have already ripped their library in an uncompressed format already. Owning physical CDs, however "dated", as PCM uncompressed audio, allows an end user to purchase once, own forever and rip as you they see fit.

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I use a few of the others spotify and itunes the most
Mar 31, 2015 11:38AM PDT

Like Jay-Z and Bey need MORE money in their pockets. Please give me a break. I will not be using his new service.

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Re: Which music streaming service do you use?
Mar 31, 2015 12:47PM PDT

I use Rhapsody and Slacker, and are happy with both. I tried Tidal when it first came out, and it sounds better, but not worth it for me since I do the majority of my listening on a noisy train.

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Reply: rangel28
Apr 1, 2015 2:44AM PDT

That's great to hear that you've tried it! If you don't mind me asking, did you go for the $9.99 or $19.99 version? What made you decide to try out Tidal?

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Re: Which music streaming service do you use?
Apr 1, 2015 3:19AM PDT

Justina, I received an email invitation from Tidal before they started in the U.S. It was the $19.99 service, about double what I currently pay for Rhapsody. I think I saw an ad for Tidal on one of the audiophile sites I visited, and I requested an invite for a 21-day free trial. I liked the service (although I had problems with the desktop client stalling at work) but I commute on BART each day (noisy) so not worth paying $20 a month.

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Re: rangel28
Apr 1, 2015 4:33AM PDT

Thanks for your quick reply! That's nice that you were able to have a free trial before committing. I also commute on BART so it's easy to stick with the free version of Spotify; I really like the desktop version of it as well.

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(NT) Pandora - great selection of classical music.
Mar 31, 2015 1:01PM PDT
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Groovebox.fm
Jul 28, 2015 8:42AM PDT
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I have the perfect solution...
Mar 31, 2015 1:20PM PDT

Here's what I do - I buy all the CDs that I want to listen to, rip them and carry the MP3s with me! And if I didn't want to go through the ripping process, I could buy the MP3s from iTunes or Amazon. I have some 2500 songs in my phone and keep buying. Go figure!

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No to streaming.
Mar 31, 2015 1:22PM PDT

So let me get this right, JZ wants us to pay to listen to streaming music.
Um, most of us already do...
(well in the UK...)
Its called the RADIO.

I dont use spotify or any of those listed. Not my thing. Seems odd to pay for a service like that. If I hear of something, I buy it either mp3 or cd format. For all else, theres you tube and if they wanted me to pay, my answer would be the same. I will stick to artists own websites and buying music direct from them.

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don't really care
Mar 31, 2015 1:46PM PDT

ahhhhhhhh who is Jay Z again?

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LOL, my sentiment exactly!
Mar 31, 2015 2:09PM PDT

Who cares? I listen to Country on the radio.

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Not Interested
Mar 31, 2015 2:06PM PDT

I happen to be a Country music fan, so couldn't care less about Jay Z, or others of their genre. That said, I listen to the radio (free) and buy CDs of my favorite artists to listen to when I tire of radio. I would never, ever pay to listen to music of the type Jay Z is selling.

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Never going to use it
Mar 31, 2015 7:34PM PDT

Why would you pay a premium price like this when it's an exact replica of Spotify and a lot more expensive with a lack of artists.

I'm a rock/metal listener, I listen to the occasional pop song here and there, but to get a decent track record, you need to support as many artists as possible, especially the smaller less knwon ones.

I use Xbox music (paid for monthly) as my streaming service, I have become lazy and don't really buy my music any more as streaming is far more convenient for me, but I'm not going to move to something more expensive with artists I will never listen to.

If I really like an artist, then I will still buy their music, so they still get money from me both from streaming and purchasing their albums which makes me and the artists I support happy.

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Streaming music services...
Apr 1, 2015 12:38AM PDT

I use both iTunes (I'm on a Macbook) and Spotify. Both for the higher quality audio. MP3 just doesn't cut it for me, the 320kbs MP3 is adequate, at best. I have excellent hearing which has been both blessing and curse, till I lost my sight. Now I'm very thankful for my hearing. I have worked as a sound engineer before retirement. I much prefer the full fidelity of a good CD but flac and alf aren't too bad. I can listen to the 320nbs MP3, if I have too. However, unless JayZ streams music I like, classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, which I seriously doubt, I'll never listen to it. I'm not about to pay $19.95.mo! I can but at least 2 CDs for that and listen to them for my entire life.

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Streaming Music Services
Apr 1, 2015 1:30AM PDT
Mischief I use iHeart Radio and Spotify Premium. Jay Z and his musical cohorts can keep Tidal. $20 a month for a "High Quality" streaming service with a limited number of artists? NOT! Scott C.
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Arrrr, Matey!
Apr 1, 2015 2:59AM PDT

I get most of my MP3 music from Usenet. Sometimes, the old ways are the best ways. Usenet is a lot like Alice's Restaurant -- "You can get anything you want."

(One thing I haven't found (yet) is "Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks," but that is an exception.)

But I am afraid this "Tidal" service will be similar in some ways to what TicketMaster did to purchasing concert tickets. Artists will contract with it exclusively, and will be forced to do so the same way artists and venues have been forced to contract with TicketMaster, and their music will become unavailable elsewhere except on their monopolistic terms. Their freebies and low fees will not stay that way if they achieve their goal.

I would love to see artists be paid what their work is worth. In the world of music, however, many "artists" aren't and just put out unimaginative, formulaic, cacophonous garbage, that then gets heavily promoted and leaves them feeling entitled to get rich off it at the listeners' expense. And many of the most excellent artists are ripped completely off by the record labels.

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Spotify
Apr 1, 2015 4:37AM PDT

Used to listen to Pandora but had switched over to Spotify. I found the interface to be more appealing on it.

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Free for me!
Apr 1, 2015 9:02AM PDT

I don't use any fee based service so this is just one more I will not bother with. I get all the music I want free.

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none for me
Apr 1, 2015 9:21AM PDT

I do not stream music. don't have the data plans for either wifi (data cap) or wireless data.

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so JayZ thinks he's Comcast?
Apr 1, 2015 12:06PM PDT

JayZ thinks he can charge users for access and then give better quality to those who pay him more? He must have gone to the Comcast school of business

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Where is the option for:
Apr 2, 2015 3:11AM PDT

"I don't use streaming music services." Confused ?????

I have no use for streaming music services. I prefer my music to be on physical media such as vinyl record or CD.

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i tune
May 21, 2015 5:01PM PDT

i tune

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Check out Groovebox.fm
Jul 28, 2015 8:44AM PDT

Free to use, Radio mode to discover various artists, No Subscriptions and No interruptions. Login with your Spotify id if you have and off you go! No fuss No Credit card details etc...