Music streaming services like Spotify, Rdio, Simfy and Deezer offer a huge range of music at a small price. The test shows that you get unlimited access to millions of songs for around ten euros a month. Depending on the provider, they can even listen for free, usually when you buy commercials.
Test methods
The streaming services are just as legal as download services, such as iTunes or Musicload. Because the streaming providers represented in the United States have negotiated with artists, record companies and representatives of music rights and found financing models that are equally attractive for them and for the users alike.
Mass, but not just class
40% offer and quality: We have carefully analyzed the musical offerings of the streaming services and compared the providers' quality of playback with CD recordings of the same songs.
Picture gallery
25% Song selection: The offer diversity was tested by means of a selection test (20 songs) independently of the supplier.
Who hears the difference?
25% service and contract: How customer-friendly are the contracts? Evaluated were inter alia. Trial subscriptions, notice periods and payment methods.
10% Usability: The available apps on the go and the possibility to use the streaming services in the browser.
From classical to jazz, pop and rock, to hits, folk music and exotic sounds from all over the world, the streaming services provide something for every taste - with the emphasis on the end of the sentence. In principle the musical offer of the tested streaming services is very extensive: at least 20 million musical titles, with Deezer and Xbox Music even 30 million. But if you are looking for something special, you will rarely find anything.
The chart hits of the test week in early February 2017 were "Happy" by Pharell Williams on place one of the American MTV Charts and "Hard Out Here" by Lily Allen to second place. As expected for current titles, we could find them at all the streaming services tested. Virtually all test candidates in the program also have classics of pop and rock history - as long as the artists and record companies could arrange with the music streaming.
If artists are missing from all services, there is probably no contract between them, the record company and the streaming provider. Motörhead's heavy metal song "Ace of Spades" and the title "God Save the Queen" by the legendary British punk band The Sex Pistols were successful for all sellers, where the famous Beatles are nowhere to be found. Watch out: There are plenty of cover bands that try to play the songs of the Fab Four.
Some song samples amazed us. We were able to listen to Frank Zappa's "Bobby Brown goes down", as well as the avant-garde piece "Barnyard" by Brian Wilson's concept album "Smile". We found the title "Odin" by the Russian world musician Mikhail Sheleg only with Deezer, Google Play Music All-Inclusive and Spotify. Spotify and Google even offer the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil" in the psychedelic interpretation of Jonathan Round - a secret tip among fans of hippie sound.
Another important criterion in the test was the quality of the music reproduction. It is difficult to compare, since the providers not only use different streaming methods, but also different quality levels. The transmitted data quantity per time unit, the so-called bit rate, is significant for the reproduction quality. The more data are streamed in the same time, the higher the bit rate, the better the quality. In addition, however, the hearing sensitivity of each person is different, and a higher bit rate does not necessarily have to be interpreted as a sound advantage. Deezer and Rdio do not make a statement about the minimum and standard bit rate.
The maximum achievable bit rate, on the other hand, is given by all test candidates. The most balanced ratio is the test winner: for Xbox Music, the bit rate is always at a good 192 kbit / s. Of CD quality one speaks however only from 256 kbit / s to 320 kbit / s. All services other than Xbox Music give to reach 320 kbit / s - but only for individual songs. The quality can also be significantly worse, for example on Google, where some songs are only streamed at 64 kbit / s.
The minimum bit rate of 96 kbit / s mentioned in the comparison table on the next page for Spotify is, however, only mobile and used at the customer's request. Our subjective hearing impressed our expectations with all services. Regardless of the playback system, the sound quality was always below that of a CD. Compared to iTunes and Musicload there are no noticeable quality differences. You can not expect hi-fi experiences - listening to music on the computer and on the go, the streaming services are a good choice.
Also interesting is
For listening to the computer or laptop, all test candidates except Google and Xbox Music offer a discounted tariff. You pay 4.99 euros instead of 9.99 euros per month, if you do not have the possibility to play music on the go. On the Windows PC and the MAC, the streaming services can be used either by software or in the browser. Spotify offers only the software variant, while Google Play Music All-Inclusive is purely browser-based.
The complete tariffs for all providers cost around ten euros per month and include the mobile use and the offline storage of music. The right mobile apps for the iPhone and for Android smartphones provide all services for free.
Mobile listening only with subscription
Anyone who wants to try it out before deciding on a subscription can use a free trial phase with all providers. But please note: Only with Rdio runs the test without a cash, and only there it ends automatically! For all other streaming services, the user has to cancel the trial subscription himself, otherwise it will automatically become a paid variant.
The test offers almost a bit like subscription-traps. On the websites you can easily see the indications that you have to cancel after the test phase itself. And the appropriate options are often well hidden. So be sure to cancel in time if you no longer want to use a service.
In the test positively noticed are the free variants of Xbox Music, Deezer and Spotify. At the test winner, you can enjoy free music for six months without advertising, afterwards still ten hours a month with advertising. Spotify generally allows free listening when you accept advertising.
It is also free
Deezer offers free listening pleasure for one year, then two hours a month. For all providers, the free use is limited to computers - they are not mobile. And one more thing to note is that after the subscription has expired, songs stored offline can no longer be played back. This applies to all suppliers. Spotify is a special feature of Spotify.
The service verifies the computer for existing music tracks. Files from watched folders are automatically linked to the Spotify library. If you enter a song title or artist name in the search field, the music service lists all the songs matching it, sorted by playlists, artists and albums. If there is a local copy, Spotify plays this, otherwise the title is retrieved from the web. By accessing local files, gaps in the repertoire can be easily averted. So even the Beatles find the way to music streaming.
Download: Table
No comments:
Post a Comment