While music has always played a key role in society, over the years the ways in which people access music have evolved. The days of record players and CD’s are long gone; with the progression of the internet, many streaming services offer free or cheap access to their constantly-expanding library of music.

Spotify

Spotify is a globally used streaming service that originated from Sweden; this music platform, with over 30 million songs, offers both a free and paid version. Spotify Premium, although it has a monthly fee of $9.99, offers its entire music catalog with no ads on a desktop and mobile app. The ads on the free version of the music platform are persistent and serve as a constant annoyance, attempting to convince listeners to update to the premium version.

However, users can create playlists of their own chosen music while also accessing another user’s playlist, or playlists made and advertised by Spotify. Spotify also has a constantly evolving playlist containing the most popular songs being played on Spotify all over the world. This makes it relatively easy to discover and listen to new genres, artists, and songs. This streaming service also has some user interaction; Spotify makes it possible to follow other accounts of both celebrities and friends, and see what they are listening to in real time.

Soundcloud

Users of the music platform Soundcloud can listen to already popular songs, new remixes, or discover unknown artists. Soundcloud is one of the only streaming services that lets all users upload their own music to its service; aspiring artists with ten listeners can release their songs in the same way as established celebrities. Because of this, many hopefuls use Soundcloud as a platform to gain popularity: popular artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Post Malone, and Kehlani all gained traction in the music business from tracks released on Soundcloud. There is also a premium version available for Soundcloud, but the ads on the free version are less persistent than on other music platforms. Overall, Soundcloud is a popular streaming service that has led to the success of many new artists.

Apple Music

Apple Music is similar to Spotify in its broad scope of music available. Originally, it started as Beats Music, but after Apple bought the former music platform, they relaunched it as Apple music in 2011. While it promotes its free three month trial, Apple Music does not offer a free version like both Spotify and Soundcloud: users must pay to access its database. Apple Music allows users to follow various artists and receive updates about their posts. This platform is similar in many ways to Spotify, but its main difference is that it is also highly compatible with iTunes, making it easy to access music previously purchased through Apple iTunes.