Top 20 Best HighEnd Online Music Streaming Services

A MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE is a type of streaming media service that focuses primarily on music, and sometimes other forms of digital audio content such as podcasts. These services are usually subscription-based services allowing users to stream digital copyright restricted songs on-demand from a centralized library provided by the service. Some services may offer free tiers with limitations, such as advertising and limits on use. They typically incorporate a recommendation engine to help users discover other songs they may enjoy based on their listening history and other factors, as well as the ability to create and share public playlists with other users.

Streaming services saw a significant pace of growth in the mid-2010s, overtaking music stores as the largest revenue stream of digital music. Streaming services, along with streams of music-related content on video sharing platforms, were incorporated into the methodologies of major record charts. The "album-equivalent unit" was also developed as an alternative metric for the consumption of albums, to account for digital music and streaming.

Digital distribution of music began to achieve prominence in the late-1990s and early-2000's; MP3.com and PeopleSound were the first two platforms, and early forerunners to platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, offering the ability for musicians (including, especially, independent musicians) to upload and distribute their songs online in the MP3 format. MP3.com later offered a service known as My.MP3.com, allowing users to rip and upload music from CDs they owned into a personal library they could stream via their accounts. The service was the subject of a lawsuit by Universal Music Group, which ruled that the service constituted the unauthorized distribution of their copyrighted music recordings. The lawsuit proved detrimental to the company; it was subsequently acquired by UMG's parent company Vivendi Universal, and later sold to CNET (which shut down its music distribution platform).

By 2013, on-demand music streaming had begun to displace online music stores as the main revenue stream of digital music. In March 2022, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported that global wholesale revenue in the music industry had increased by US$4 billion year-over-year (YoY) in 2021 - its largest increase in the past 20 years - with paid music streaming services accounting for $12.3 billion in revenue ($2.2 billion YoY), and ad-supported streaming $4.6 billion ($1.1 billion YoY). Revenue from music streaming services had more than doubled since 2017, and the estimated number of users of paid services exceeded 523 million. Music streaming services have faced criticism over the amount of royalties they distribute, including accusations that they do not fairly compensate musicians and songwriters.

Online Music Streaming Services News, Reviews & Resources

• $1.6 BILLION SPOTIFY LAWSUIT IS BASED ON A LAW MADE FOR PLAYER PIANOS - "The hidden costs of streaming music."
• 3D audio effect - a group of sound effects that manipulate the sound produced by stereo speakers, surround-sound speakers, speaker-arrays, or headphones. This frequently involves the virtual placement of sound sources anywhere in three-dimensional space, including behind, above or below the listener.
• 5 Apple Music Hidden Features - "There are features that only power users, or frequent users of the program, have figured out. Whether you have listened to Apple Music for years or are just starting out, give these tips a try and see how they optimize your user experience."
• 5 reasons I prefer Apple Music over Spotify - "I swear I can hear the difference in audio quality."
• 5 reasons to ditch Spotify for Apple Music - "1. Better sound quality; 2. Easy to use interface; 3. Apple Music Sing karaoke; 4. Apple HomePod 2 integration; 5. Apple Music Classical."
• 5 reasons you should use Tidal over Spotify & Apple Music - "1. Masters of sound (quality) ... 2. Superior audio settings. ... 3. Third-party spatial audio support. ... 4. It pays artists better. ... 5. True lossless tracks for offline listening - at the highest quality available."
• 10 BEST VPN SERVICES 2021 - "A VPN, or virtual private network, is an easy way to improve your online privacy. We've reviewed scores of them, and these are the best VPN services we've tested." PCMagazine.
• $20 Spotify Platinum plan with HiFi, headphone tuner, ‘Library Pro,’ & more could be imminent - "We’re getting close to two years since Spotify announced it would be launching a HiFi offering. After the extended delay, the company could be close to debuting a new “Platinum plan” with high-res music, a headphone tuner, 'Studio Sound,' 'Library Pro,' 'Playlist Pro,' and limited ads for podcasts."
• 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - "For the first time in 17 years, we've completely remade our list of the best songs ever. More than 250 artists, writers, and industry figures helped us choose a brand-new list full of historic favorites, world-changing anthems, and new classics." Rolling Stone.
• 2023 The Amplifier: The Best Songs Our Readers Discovered in 2023 - "Songs by Labi Siffre, Bessie Banks, the Brat and more that became invested with fresh meaning." The New York Times.
• A Field Guide to Streaming Music Services - The Wall Street Journal.
• A first look at Spotify on the Apple Watch - The Verge.
• ACHIEVE AUDIOPHILE SUPERIORITY WITH THESE STREAMING AMPS - "STREAMING MUSIC DOESN’T have to mean compromised sound. These hi-fi amps can help you find cloud-connected aural ecstasy."
• 
• Acram ST60 Streamer - s4 digital inputs - Balanced XLR and Single ended RCA analogue outputs - Optical and coaxial digital outputs - GoogleCast, Airplay2, uPnP Streamer.
• Adele convinces Spotify to change the way it plays albums - "Adele wants you to listen to her album in order, and Spotify agrees."
• Amazon Music is growing faster than Spotify - "The number of Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers grew 70 percent in the past year."
• AMARRA - "Breathtaking Sound." Digital Audio for Professionals & Music Enthusiasts. "You’ve never heard such depth, richness and character from your music; rock, blues, classical or hip-hop, doesn’t matter - the same music you’ve listened to for years sounds better with Amarra." Works with your existing iTunes library.
• Amazon Music's spatial audio now works on any headphones - "HD music and spatial audio tracks are included with Unlimited plans."
• Apple Music Classical Launch Could Be Approaching Based on Code in iOS 16.4 Beta 2 - "The Apple Music Classical app that Apple first announced when it acquired classical music service Primephonic could potentially be launching in the near future according to additional mentions of 'Apple Musi Classical' found in the iOS 16.4 beta."
• Apple Music: Complete Guide - "Apple Music is Apple's streaming music service, comparable to similar streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Google Play Music, Tidal, and others, though it has a leg up over many of its competitors with high-quality lossless audio and Spatial Audio support."
• Apple Music for Android offers more details on upcoming lossless streaming - "Evidence points to two tiers of lossless audio."
• Apple Music is becoming the best streaming service - "Spatial Audio is changing everything on Apple Music, at no extra cost."
• Apple music is better than Spotify & it's not even close - "Apple Music offers a larger music library with superior audio quality. Apple Music's human-curated playlists lead to better music discovery. Despite Spotify's features, Apple Music is the superior choice due to its better audio quality and organization."
• Apple Music Is Strong on Design, Weak on Social Networking - The New York Times.
• Apple Music kicks off 10-day ‘100 Best Albums’ of all time countdown - "Apple Music will reveal 10 albums each day for the next 10 days. Here are the ranks for spots 100-91: 100. Body Talk, Robyn; 99. Hotel ..."
• Apple Music launches a Discovery Station to help you find new songs - "The new station will play a curated selection of songs based on what you’ve been listening to but haven’t heard before."
• Apple Music launches new personal 'Heavy Rotation' mix, updated daily - "Apple Music has launched a new personalized playlist feature today, with users noticing a new 'Heavy Rotation' mix in their Made for You section. Heavy Rotation features the songs you are listening to a lot, and the mix is a great way to blast some of your recent favorites. The list of tracks is updated daily."
• Apple Music, Spotify & a Guide to Music Streaming Services - The New York Times.
• Apple Music trolls Spotify by calling itself 'the home of Neil Young' - "Just a day after Spotify agreed to remove Neil Young's music from its service, Apple Music trolled its streaming rival by giving the musician some rock star treatment."
• Apple Music will help you find new songs & artists with Discovery Station - "Apple has quietly launched a new feature for its music streaming service that could help you expand your playlists and find new artists to listen to. It's a personalized radio station called 'Discovery Station,' which picks the songs it thinks you'd be into from Apple Music's catalog."
• Apple Music will offer Dolby Atmos & lossless streaming starting next month - "You won't have to pay extra for either one."
• Apple Music's Digital Masters catalog helps you find high-quality tunes - "It's not lossless audio, but it could be close enough."
• Apple Music's Siri-only plan is now available as iOS 15.2 rolls out - "Apple has released its latest firmware updates for iPhone and iPad. One of the more notable features Apple is adding in iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 is the Voice Plan for Apple Music. For $5 per month, subscribers can access the full library of songs, playlists and radio stations via Siri."
• Apple raises prices for music & TV streaming services - "Apple on Monday raised the price of its music and video streaming services, in the latest example of streaming products getting more expensive in recent months. An Apple Music subscription for individuals will now cost $10.99 per month, up from $9.99, and a family plan supporting up to five people is now $16.99 per month, up from $14.99. The price of Apple TV+ will increase to $6.99 per month, a 40% increase from the $4.99 it cost previously, the company said Monday."
• Apple spatial audio: what is it? How do you get it? And is it like Dolby Atmos? - "Everything you need to know about Apple’s 3D audio tech for Apple Music and movie soundtracks."
• Apple Watch just took a massive step towards being my favorite running watch - "Finally, the battle with Spotify is over."
• Apple will launch its standalone classical music app on March 28th - "Apple Music Classical will be available from the App Store, and the company says it will provide deeper search and composer metadata that help set it apart from mainstream music services. It’ll also do spatial audio, of course."
• Apple’s Spatial Audio is a music revolution, but you'll need to ditch the headphones - "The emergence of streaming Atmos music makes for a thrilling experience - if you do it right."
• AUDIRVANA - "The Sound of Your Dreams." Audirvana is the creator of high-end audiophile players for the Mac platform, aiming at the best possible sound quality.
• Barack Obama shares his summer playlist & it’s fire - "Tupac Shakur, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner make the cut."
• Beatles Albums to Go on Streaming Services at Midnight - The New York Times.
• Beats Music - (2014-2015). Was a subscription-based online music streaming service owned by the Beats Electronics division of Apple Inc. The service combined algorithm-based personalization with expert music suggestions from a variety of sources.
• Before you pay for high-fidelity streaming music, try to pass this lossless audio test - "Even if you consider yourself an audiophile, you probably don’t need to pay extra for lossless music. At least, not in order to make your music sound better."
• best DACs for Apple Music Lossless in 2021 - "All the equipment you need to listen to hifi audio wherever you are."
• best DACs for Apple Music Lossless in 2023 - "All the equipment you need to listen to hifi audio wherever you are."
• Best music streaming services 2019: free streams to hi-res audio - What Hi-Fi?
• best music streaming services in 2023 - "The differences between Spotify, Apple Music and others are subtle yet significant."
• Best Online Music Streaming Services for 2021 - "Music makes life better, no matter if you're looking to power through the workday or an intense workout. These top, tested picks deliver the tunes you need to stay entertained all day long." PCMag.
• BILLIONS CLUB - playlist by Spotify - "All the songs with more than 1 BILLION streams on Spotify."
• Bluetooth bandwidth set to double, opening a path for video & lossless audio - "Bluetooth, the technology that powers the wireless data connections between billions of devices, is going to become even more capable, with big increases planned for the data bandwidth of Bluetooth LE."
• Cayin RU6 Review - "Vinyl sound" from your phone - "The Cayin RU6 provides a taste of hi-fi sound in pocket size and is a reminder of how much better wired headphones sound."
• 
• Chord Mojo 2 - since 1989. "Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier. Simply without equal." Mojo 2 is the most advanced DAC/headphone amplifier in the world. It plays your favourite music with class-leading detail and clarity, right up to studio-grade levels.
• Comparison of digital music stores - "Digital music stores sell copies of digital audio, for example in MP3 and WAV file formats. Unlike music streaming services, which typically charge a monthly subscription fee to stream digital audio, online music stores download songs to the customer's hard disk drive of their device. The customer will have the copy of the song permanently on their disk, provided the track is not deleted by the customer, the disk does not get physically damaged, or suffers from being corrupted."
• Comparison of music streaming services - "The following is a list of on-demand music streaming services. The services offer streaming of full-length content via the Internet as a part of their service, without the listener necessarily purchasing a file for download. This type of service is comparable to Internet radio. Many of these sites have advertising and offer non-free options in the style of an online music store."
• DATA TO DATE: THE RAPID RISE OF SOCIAL and STREAMING - Next Big Sound.
• 
• Dethonray Pegasus SG1 - "Bluetooth Amplifier." DPPU(Desktop Plus Power Unit)?adapts dual high-density battery customized power system, designed for High-Fidelity while ensuring separation of digital and analog power to eliminate digital circuit noise from the source, alike an enhanced DAP + Amplifier system but with a minimal path and hard soldered joints with no compromises. Redesigned the charging circuit to reduce the switch circuit noise, ensure charging and playing at the same time, sound quality is not affected.
• DETHONRAY PEGASUS SG1 REVIEW - Headfonia.
• Digital-to-analog converter (DAC) - system that converts a digital signal into an analog signal. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse function.
• Dolby Atmos - surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects. Following the release of Atmos for the cinema market, a variety of consumer technologies have been released under the Atmos brand, using in-ceiling and up-firing speakers.
• Dolby Atmos for music streaming is a waste of time - "Dolby Atmos may be the new thing in music, but that doesn't make it better. As with anything, it depends on how it's used. In the case of classical and jazz, Atmos is able to breathe new life into already incredible recordings. With other kinds of music, though, it's a much more mixed bag."
• Dolby Atmos: The ins, outs & sounds of the object-based surround system - "An in-depth guide to the spatial audio technology. In brief, Dolby Atmos is a new audio format that allows you to hear sound in a 360-degree bubble. With its object-oriented audio engineering and its up-or-down-firing speakers, Atmos is changing the way home theaters are setup and, more importantly, how sound is distributed in the room."
• Dolby Atmos: what is it? How can you get it? - "Immerse yourself in a bubble of surround sound. Want to heighten your home cinema surround sound experience? You need to know about Dolby Atmos."
• Dynamic head tracking is now available in Apple Music - "So long as you have iOS 15 and the right AirPods, that is."
• 
• EarMen Angel - "Reference Portable Device." EarMen Angel is Portable Fully Balanced Hi-Res DAC/ Headphone Amplifier with the Pre Out option. It is a very powerful audio device with which you will be able to listen to Hi-Res music on to go. You will be able to enjoy a plenty of power without worrying about consumption, since it is equipped with 2-cell battery. EarMen Angel will provide outstanding performance and we are sure you will enjoy it. Fly music with EarMen Angel!
• EarMen Angel Review - Headfonics.
• Everything new with Apple Music on iOS 16 - "One of the reasons to be excited about a WWDC is previewing what’s coming to Apple Music. With iOS 16, unfortunately, Apple didn’t announce a ton of new features to its music streaming service - different from all the other years. That said, there are still a few functions and tweaks that users will love when using Apple Music with iOS 16."
• FAKE NAME GENERATOR - "Generate a Random Name." The most advanced name generator. With 30 languages and 22 countries, the Fake Name Generator is the most advanced name generator on the internet.
• FLAC - (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio, developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation, and is also the name of the free software project producing the FLAC tools, the reference software package that includes a codec implementation. Digital audio compressed by FLAC's algorithm can typically be reduced to between 50 and 70 percent of its original size and decompresses to an identical copy of the original audio data.
• For Spotify, music might not actually be the key to success - "The music-streaming space is competitive and crowded, with Apple, Google, Amazon, Pandora, Tidal, iHeart Radio and dozens more battling for ears. But Spotify is the lead player, with more than 113 million paid subscribers."
• From Beethoven’s Ninth to Theme from Shaft: the best exercise anthems - "Soul classics, German film soundtracks and chugging rap - here’s a workout of bangers to get you off the couch."
• Google announces YouTube Music & YouTube Premium - "Goodbye, YouTube Red; hello, new premium services."
• Here's How Apple's iPod Lasted for 20 Years - "The gadget survived music streaming, rival players and the iPhone."
• HOT 100 - Billboard: the week's most popular songs across all genres, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions.
• How to Actually Listen to Apple Music's Lossless Tracks on Your iPhone - "You need a portable DAC (and a good pair of wired headphones). These are the best ones to amp up your Apple Music experience."
• How to add a music streamer to your hi-fi system - "It's any component that allows you to play music wirelessly - using a streaming service app and/or network storage device - to your hi-fi system. Complement, rather than replace, your existing kit."
• How to AirPlay content to your Mac using macOS Monterey - "One of the neat ways macOS Monterey upgrades Apple desktops and notebooks is turning them into AirPlay targets. Follow along for how to AirPlay to Mac including what hardware works with the new feature and how to enable it with older devices."
• How to Choose Between Spotify & Apple Music - "If you're after the best sound quality, then Apple Music is a better option than Spotify. Apple Music allows you to listen to lossless audio files at no extra charge. With the right kind of wired audio equipment, you'll be able to hear the difference in sound quality."
• How to listen to spatial & hi def music streaming, CD/HD, Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos & 360 Reality Audio - "Spatial audio and higher definition audio are great ways to listen to high quality music via Amazon Music Unlimited, Deezer, Tidal and other streaming services but how can you setup your phone, speakers, headphones etc to listen to at the best audio quality level?"
• How to move your Spotify playlists to Apple Music - The Telegraph.
• How You Can Block the Music of Problematic Artists From Playing on Your Music App. Here's How - "If you’re a fan of streaming music, personalized playlists, and mixes made 'just for you,' you’ve no doubt run into some boring, bad and even downright offensive songs you’d rather not hear again. And if you’re familiar with the news surrounding today’s most popular artists, you probably have a running list of artists who you’d rather never hear again - no matter how good their newest single may be - because of their misogyny, or racism, or other problematic behavior."
• I switched through all the best music streamers for a month to compare them - here are the 7 biggest things I learned - "During my testing, I was pleasantly surprised by how well all the top music streaming services adapted to my musical tastes. I found Tidal and Apple Music's suggestions impressive, but Spotify remains the leader in recommending new tracks and music."
• Improve Your Spotify Audio Quality by Changing These Settings - "1. Open Spotify. 2. Click on your profile picture to access Settings. 3. Under Audio Quality, click the drop-down menu next to Streaming quality. 4. Choose between Low, Normal, High or Automatic options, and paid subscribers also have the Very high option."
• In big tech’s dystopia, cat videos earn millions while real artists beg for tips - "Instead of paying musicians properly, the likes of Spotify have set up ‘donation’ buttons - thus passing the buck to fans."
• Inside the booming business of background music - "Once derided, the successors to muzak have grown more sophisticated - and influential - than any of us realise."
• Internet Archive - founded in 1996. "Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine."
• iOS 15 brings next-level spatial audio to Apple Music - but there's a catch - "Want the new immersive head-tracking tech? Get ready to feel Apple's not-so-gentle nudge towards its own flagship AirPods..."
• Joe Rogan: rise of a highly controversial cultural power - "In a row over Covid misinformation, Spotify sided with the wildly successful podcast host over Neil Young."
• Joni Mitchell wants songs off Spotify in Covid row - "Singer Joni Mitchell has joined Neil Young in asking for her music to be removed from Spotify over Covid misinformation concerns."
• Khadas' Tea DAC is a compelling MagSafe accessory - "This MagSafe DAC makes so much sense."
• Lindemann Limetree Network II Music Streamer: Review - "German-made hi-res audio music streamer features a built-in headphone amp with ES9038 Hypersteam2-DAC and analog volume control."
• Lossless audio streaming: Is it worth it? - "With an increase in audio quality, you can expect to pay a bit more than your usual monthly fee, which begs the question: Is lossless audio streaming worth it? The short answer is a definite yes if you can afford it. The long answer is a little more convoluted. If you love your music and getting the most out of your favourite artists, then stick around as we dig a little deeper."
• Lossless compression - "Lossless compression is a class of data compression algorithms that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data. By contrast, lossy compression permits reconstruction only of an approximation of the original data, though usually with greatly improved compression rates (and therefore reduced media sizes)."
• 
• Matrix Audio - since 2009. "Hi-fi digital audio company founded in 2009. Their DAC's, amplifiers, digital streamers and other products focus on providing high performance, great usability and quality." The element X is also a dual-mode headphone amplifier based on the LME49600 and consisting of four independent amplifier units.
• MUSIC Download - Wikipedia.
• Music Genome Project - was an effort to "capture the essence of music at the fundamental level" using almost 400 attributes to describe songs and a complex mathematical algorithm to organize them.
• Music streaming on Apple Watch Series 3 is a surprisingly nice feature to have - The Verge.
• Music streaming service - Wikipedia.
• NEXUS Q - "World's first social streaming media player from Google."
• Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' sets the Spotify record for most streams in a day - "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' has set Spotify's record for most streams in a day for a non-holiday song, the streaming service has announced."
• On-demand streaming now accounts for the majority of audio consumption, says Nielsen - TechCrunch.
• OVERPLAY - "By rerouting your internet connection through our worldwide VPN servers you can: change your IP address to one in another country; improve your security by ensuring your internet traffic is encrypted; access content that is normally restricted at your location."
• People are giving up on Apple Music - The Verge.
• Petflix & chill: does your dog need a streaming service? - "The attention economy has turned its eye to a new audience: household pets."
• Philips Hue partners with Spotify to turn all your lights into a music visualizer - "Hue lights can change based on mood, tempo, and more."
• Playlist - in its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order.
• Qobuz ditches MP3-quality streaming for a single hi-res plan - "It hopes to reel you in with a better price for high-quality audio."
• Qobuz Duo lets two people share one hi-res streaming subscription (and save) - "Qobuz isn't the world's biggest music streaming service, but it is a firm favourite with those who seek hi-res audio streams. And now, two people under the same roof can share the experience."
• Qobuz vs Tidal review: Who’s better in 2022 - "For a long time, Spotify dominated the music streaming world. It’s quickly losing market share to a number of competitors. Many are leaving for different reasons (other than just Joe Rogan). One of the main reasons is the music streaming quality. Right now, Tidal and Qobuz are leading the race on music streaming quality. In order to find out who the king of Hi-Res streaming is, we tested both Tidal and Qobuz."
• Qobuz's hi-res music streaming service comes to the US - "It puts quality over quantity."
• Qualcomm has found a way to support lossless audio over Bluetooth headphones - could Apple be next? - "Since Apple introduced lossless audio to Apple Music, the limitations of Bluetooth technology when it comes to bandwidth have become very clear. However, as the world moves toward a future with wireless headphones, companies have been working to deliver lossless audio over a wireless connection - which is exactly what Qualcomm has just announced."
• Questyle NHB12 - "World's First True Lossless Earphone for Apple Music Lossless." The NHB12 supports Hi-Res lossless music reproduction up to 192kHz and 24bit. Enjoy the unparalleled, plug & play lossless music experience. Integrated DAC and Current Mode Amplifier, providing the unparalleled sound quality.The sample rate indicator displays one light for standard lossless quality and two lights for Hi-Res lossless quality when receiving music.
• RAPIDSHARE - founded in 2002. "Your Pictures, Videos, Documents & Music..." One-click hosting service that offers both free and commercial services. RapidShare is one of the world's largest file-hosting sites, with 10 petabytes of files on its servers, and handling up to three million users simultaneously.
• 
• Rotel S14 - since 1966. "Streaming your days away." The Rotel S14 Integrated Network Streamer is an all-in-one solution providing the ultimate in convenience to the near limitless catalog of music delivering 150 Watts of Class AB power. Album artwork on the front display, included remote, simple operation and intuitive setup ensures the S14 becomes the heart of your music system.
• Rotel's first just-add-speakers S14 network streaming system could rival the Naim Uniti Atom - "Should Naim be worried?"
• Sonos announces redesigned app that puts everything on your homescreen - "The company’s desktop apps are being phased out in favor of a web app that lets you control your Sonos gear from anywhere. It’ll roll out for both Android and iOS on May 7th."
• Sound & Vision: If you love music, get a portable music player - "It’s widely considered that if you’re going to listen to music on the go, you’re going to do so through a smartphone. With that said, if you’re devoted to the art of music then there is a better option in the form of a dedicated portable music player (even if that means having an extra device to carry on your person)."
• Sony Announces Two New Premium High-End Digital Audio Players - "Most of us play music on our smartphones, but audiophiles demand a higher standard and the market is large enough for big players in the consumer electronics industry to produce premium digital audio players for people who simply must have the best audio quality possible. Today, Sony is announcing two new premium music players including new the Signature Series Walkman NW-WM1ZM2 and the NW-WM1AM2. Both models have been designed with audiophiles in mind and have been fine-tuned and are crafted from high-quality materials. Sony says the new players set a benchmark for Sony’s award-winning signature series, offering an exquisite listening experience in an ultra-premium design. The NW-WM1ZM2 and NW-WM1AM2 are Wi-Fi compatible and run Android 11, giving access to a vast collection of genres and artists, from all around the world. Listeners can choose to stream favorite music streaming or download music files by connecting to a PC to download tracks and playlists."
• 
• Sony Walkman NW-A306 360 Reality Audio - "Experience music as the artist intended, even in the compact body." Enjoy a high quality sound from this stylish and compact music player that lets you download and stream more of the music you love. With full Wi-Fi compatibility, a longer lasting battery and a stylish and sleek design, you can play and find new music wherever you want to go.
• 
• Sony Walkman Signature Series - "Pure listening indulgence." Part of the Signature Series, the WM1ZM2 sets a new benchmark in pure sound quality and listening sophistication. Crafted with fine materials and meticulous attention to detail, and offering the ease of downloading and streaming music, this is audio at its most indulgent.
• Spatial audio - "Spatial audio is Apple's term for a collection of audio technologies that bring 360-degree effects to video calls, movies and remixed music. Apple first introduced spatial audio on its AirPods Pro earbuds in 2020, and the company is now expanding the capabilities of other devices in the range."
• Spatial Audio now works over AirPlay with iOS 18 - "'AirPlay adds Spatial Audio so users can get an immersive audio experience, including support for Dolby Atmos, when using AirPlay to stream audio from iPhone and iPad to HomePod and compatible third-party audio equipment,' Apple says on its website."
• Spotify HiFi may finally be coming with a new name: Supremium - "For $19.99 a month, it better be supreme. It was a cold, damp, desolate February 2021, when Spotify announced a new tier, called Spotify HiFi, that would include higher quality, lossless audio."
• SPOTIFY IS OUT OF CONTRACT WITH ALL THREE MAJOR LABELS - AND WANTS TO PAY THEM LESS - Music Business Worldwide.
• Spotify launches a sleek standalone app for Cadillac vehicle - The Verge.
• Spotify launches curated podcast playlists in a bid to make the platform a podcast tastemaker - "Localized playlists for six countries."
• Spotify overheats iPhones on iOS 15, rapidly drains battery - "Music streaming service Spotify has confirmed iPhone user complaints that its app drains around 30% battery per hour of streaming. Exceptionally high battery drain, also making iPhones run hot, are being reported by Spotify users who have upgrade from iOS 14.8 to iOS 15. The company says it is investigating."
• Spotify reportedly paid $200 million for Joe Rogan’s podcast - "Double what was initially reported."
• Spotify says it will remove Neil Young's music, according to reports - "Spotify will no longer stream the music of Neil Young. For what it's worth, he asked for it."
• Spotify: Streaming giant announces plans to clamp down on Covid misinformation - "Spotify says that it is working to add advisory warnings to any podcast on its platform that discusses Covid-19."
• Spotify tattoo - artists want you to know these risks - "What if you were able to have your favorite song basically on speed dial, ready to go for any moment that calls for it? What's known as a 'Spotify tattoo' has made that possible: On Spotify, every piece of content has a series of unique sound bars known as a Spotify code, meant for sharing the content with someone when scanned with the camera function on Spotify's mobile app. Get a code tattooed on your arm or another body part and, when scanned, it should immediately play the content associated with it."
• Spotify vs. Apple Music: THE BEST MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE - The Verge.
• Spotify Wrapped 2021 is here to take over your social media - "You can share it to TikTok and interact with other Spotify listeners with blended playlists or a card game."
• Spotify Wrapped: users alarmed by their own listening habits - "Streaming service gave subscribers a look back at their entire decade of music consumption."
• SPOTIFY’S LATEST PURCHASE IS ABOUT BECOMING THE PLACE YOU LISTEN TO EVERYTHING - "Why it bought an audiobook company."
• Spotify’s new design is part TikTok, part Instagram & part YouTube - "Spotify wants to be much more than a music player. So its app is turning into much more than a bunch of album covers. The new design goes heavy on imagery and vertical scrolling, turning your homescreen from a set of album covers into a feed that much more closely resembles TikTok and Instagram. As you scroll, Spotify is also hoping to make it easier to discover new things across the Spotify ecosystem."
• Spotify’s problems are bigger than Joe Rogan - "A lack of transparency is eroding trust."
• Spotify’s paying customers will soon get separate play & shuffle buttons - "You won’t see the combined play / shuffle button on your playlists anymore."
• 'Streaming has killed the mainstream': the decade that broke popular culture - "We forget ‘seminal’ albums and TV shows months after consuming them, and the mega-famous have to resort to ruses to get our attention - has streaming destroyed the mainstream?"
• Streaming is now the US music industry's biggest money maker - "It just edged out downloads in 2015."
• Streaming media - is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements.
• Streaming now accounts for 80 percent of the US music market - "It made up just seven percent in 2010, according to RIAA stats."
• 
• Tea - Ultraslim Hi-Res Headphone Amplifier - "High Definition Music. Lossless Streaming Audio." MagSafe compatible: "Khadas Tea" magnetically attaches to your iPhone 12 or newer smartphone, or an Android phone equipped with a MagSafe compatible case. No more messy wires and dongles, just freedom of pure style. 'Tea' measures just 7.95mm at its thickest point, which means it can still comfortably slip into your pocket even when magnetically attached to your smartphone. 'Tea' brings back the analog audio jack to your smartphone with 3.5mm output, so you can use your favourite high-fidelity headphones to listen to lossless streaming audio directly from your streaming app. Supports up to 300 ohm impedances.
• THE BEST MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE - "Popular music streaming services compared."
• The magic that makes Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists so damn good - Quartz.
• The music industry battles the Internet Archive - "The big music labels, led by Sony and Universal, are filing a lawsuit against the Internet Archive to stop the non-profit’s Great 78 Project. It’s an effort to digitize and preserve recordings on old 78 RPM records, a format discontinued in 1959. The labels feel the Archive, the closest thing the web has to a public library, is infringing its copyrights after digitizing tracks from big names like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. And the labels are asking for damages of $150,000 per still-copyrighted recording - the better part of $372 million in total."
• The Verge 2017 tech report card: Streaming music
• The Verge’s favorite music for work - "From classical to country to ambient to stoner rock, here’s what we listen to at our desks."
• Tidal adds hi-res FLAC streaming for HiFi Plus subscribers - "The service is available in early access for iOS."
• Tips for Getting the Most Out of Spotify - Wired.
• Top of the flops: is streaming rendering the charts obsolete? - "Record companies might disagree, but exclusives, eligibility algorithms, bundling and ‘streaming farms’ are threatening to ruin the Top 40."
• Top Streamed Song on Spotify Every Year, 2014-2023 - "Spotify is one of the most popular paid music streaming services, totaling 626 million users across 180 markets, as of July 2024. This chart shows the top-streamed song of the year on Spotify from 2014 to 2023, with figures from Spotify, Complex, and Wikipedia."
• TORRENT FREAK - weblog dedicated to bringing the latest news about BitTorrent and everything that is closely related to this popular filesharing protocol.
• Trust Your Ears. Dolby Atmos on Apple Music Doesn’t Sound “Right” - "Back in May, Apple announced a partnership with Dolby to deliver Spatial Music to all Apple Music subscribers. Keenly paired with Apple’s Airpods line of headphones, this is immersive audio’s most significant move to the mainstream. Those listening closely have noticed that their favorite songs sound different, and not just because of the obvious remix in surround sound. It seems that Apple’s flavor of Dolby Atmos sounds quite different from what is heard in the studio. At the risk of sounding reductive, Atmos+Apple Music sounds bad."
• We've blended vinyl with streaming to create a sensational hi-fi system - "Four Award-winning products form an unbeatable team." What Hi-Fi?
• When hi-res audio can't compete with vinyl... - Why bother with vinyl in 2023 when hi-res audio versions of selected titles are streamable? It's not an unreasonable question. The short answer is that the streaming file and the vinyl record are very often made from different masters.
• Why can’t more music apps be like Apple Music Classical? - "While it isn’t perfect, the app embraces metadata to a degree that a lot of other apps could learn from."
• Why is Spotify full of faster versions of pop hits? Let’s bring you up to speed - "Sped-up versions of existing songs are becoming more popular than the original versions. But who’s behind the trend?"
• Why Spotify can’t afford to lose Joe Rogan - "The thinking behind an easy decision. You’ve probably seen this by now, but to catch you up if not: On Monday, Neil Young issued an ultimatum to Spotify: keep Joe Rogan or me. It can’t have both on the service."
• Why You Won't Hear Any Difference with Spotify's New HiFi Audio - "Try switching to a rival service instead. Spotify is about to add a new lossless HiFi tier to its music streaming plans, but you almost certainly won't be able to hear the difference."
• 
• WiiM Amp - "Versatile Streaming Amplifier | Stream Elegance, Amplify Brilliance." All-in-one streamer with superior sound quality, eliminating the need for an external DAC. Compact all-in-one streaming amplifier delivering 60W per channel at 8 ohm, ensuring superior sound quality.
• Your first DAC: the $79 iFi Audio Uno - "Want to take your listening experience to a level beyond that of the average laptop or smartphone’s internals and for very little outlay? iFi’s new US$79 Uno could be just the ticket."
• Your Next iPod Could & Probably Should, Be an Apple Watch - "'I ditched my iPod ages ago, because the computer on my wrist was more convenient.'"
• YouTube Music, a new music streaming service, is coming soon - Official YouTube Blog.
• YouTube Music will transfer your Google Play songs with one click - "Playlists, uploads, purchased music and more all come over with one click."
• YouTube Music's redesigned playback screen includes lyrics - "It's also much easier to shuffle or repeat tracks."

Top 20 Best High-End Online Music Streaming Services

• Amazon Music Unlimited - since 2007. "75 million songs in HD ad-free. On Demand Music, Always Ad Free. Listen Offsline With Unlimited Skips. Millions of Podcast Episodes." Experience Spatial Audio: Hear your favorite music like never before with fully immersive, three-dimensional sound. Discover the HD Difference: High-quality streaming audio lets you hear music the way the artist intended, with more clarity, richness and raw emotion. Why listen any other way? 3 MONTHS FREE. Limited-time only. Starts at $7.99/month after. New subscribers only. Terms apply.
• Apple Music - since June 30, 2015. "Music Lives Here. Lose yourself in 100 million songs." Music streaming service by Apple Inc. Users select music on a device, which then plays on the device via Internet streaming. The service also provides music recommendations based on user taste. While Apple Music's cost and music library are similar to other music streaming services, the service aims to distinguish itself with added features and content exclusives. US$10.99 / month for single license US$99.00 / year for single license US$16.99 / month for family license US$5.99 / month for student. The service also provides three live 24-hour radio stations: Apple Music 1 (previously branded as Beats 1), led by DJ Zane Lowe, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, which is broadcast in over 100 countries. The Apple Music Radio service is free for all users, even without an Apple Music subscription.
• Apple music is better than Spotify & it's not even close - "Apple Music offers a larger music library with superior audio quality. Apple Music's human-curated playlists lead to better music discovery. Despite Spotify's features, Apple Music is the superior choice due to its better audio quality and organization."
• Deezer - since 2007. French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels including Sony Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group (whose parent company access industries also owns) on various devices online or offline. Created in Paris, France, Deezer currently has 53 million licensed tracks in its library, with over 30,000 radio channels, 14 million monthly active users, and 6 million paid subscribers as of 3 April 2018. The service is available for Web, Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry OS and Windows, MacOS.
• EMUSIC - since 1998. "Discover and Download Music." A blockchain-based music distribution platform that pays artist more fairly and efficiently. Discover and download music with our free personalized discovery tools. Read reviews, listen to samples, and buy tracks or albums from your favorite artists. Over 20 million independent artist songs and albums with new hundreds new added each month.
• Google Play - since 2012. Bringing together the Android Market, Google Music, and the Google eBookstore under one brand, marking a shift in Google's digital distribution strategy. The services included in the Google Play are Google Play Books, Google Play Games, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music. Following their re-branding, Google has gradually expanded the geographical support for each of the services.
• Google Play Music - since 2011. "40 millions songs on-demand." Music and podcast streaming service and online music locker operated by Google. With a paid subscription to Google Play Music, in addition to the standard features users get access to on-demand streaming of 40 million songs, without advertisements during listening, no limit on number of skips, and offline music playback on the mobile apps. A one-time 30-day free trial for a subscription to Google Play Music is offered for new users. Paid subscribers also receive access to YouTube Premium (including YouTube Music) in eligible countries.
• HYPE MACHINE - since 2005. "The place for the best new music. Every day, thousands of people around the world write about music they love - and it all ends up here." It aggregates the most recently posted songs from a selection of music blogs (about 800) and lists them on the website's main page. Users have the ability to "love" songs, which saves the song to their Loved List. The site has thirteen different genres to select music from. Users can also select the "Latest" tracks from categories including "Freshest", "Remixes Only", "No Remixes", and blogs in the user's country. Hype Machine also provides a full directory of the blogs from which their database of music is derived. Additionally, Hype Machine maintains a Popular List for the last three days and the previous week, both of which are determined by the number of "loves" given to each song by users.
• ITUNES - since 2001. "50 million songs. Zero ads." Stream over 50 million songs, ad-free. Or download albums and tracks to listen to offline. All the music in your personal iTunes library - no matter where it came from - lives right alongside the Apple Music catalog. Start your free three-month trial with no commitment, and cancel anytime. iTunes is the best way to organize and enjoy the music, movies, and TV shows you already have - and shop for the ones you want. Enjoy all the entertainment iTunes has to offer on your Mac and PC.
• LAST.FM - since 2002. "Explore Top Music Powered by your Scrobbles." We bring together your favourite music services and join up listening, watching and sharing to connect your musical world. Need new music? Last.fm lets you effortlessly keep a record of what you listen to from any player. Based on your taste, Last.fm recommends you more music and concerts!
• Napster - since 2005. "Napster is the original music service, created by music lovers for music lovers. We have a huge catalogue of over 40 million tracks, with new music added every day. You can play all the music you want, as often as you want."
• Openwhyd - since 2012. "Discover and collect the best music tracks from the web." Discover and collect music gems from Youtube, Soundcloud, Deezer and more.
• Pandora - since 2000. "Listen to Free Music You'll Love. At Pandora, we have a single mission: To play only music you'll love. To understand just how we do this, and why we think we do it really, really well, you need to know about the Music Genome Project. Since we started back in 2000, we have been hard at work on the Music Genome Project. It's the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken. With Pandora you can explore this vast trove of music to your heart's content. Just drop the name of one of your favorite songs, artists or genres into Pandora and let the Music Genome Project go." Pandora is only available in the U.S. right now - but we are working on bringing our music service to other parts of the world.
• PlayStation Music - since 2015. On-demand streaming music service powered by Spotify. Providing free and premium access to over 30 million tracks, it is available in 41 markets via the PlayStation Network on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xperia tablet and mobile devices.
• Primephonic Classical Streaming - since 2014. "The streaming service designed for classical music." Easy search. Premium sound. Inspiring recommendations. Explore new works, discover hidden gems and gain insights behind the classics. From classic recordings to the very latest releases, the biggest labels to the most obscure indies – the Primephonic catalogue has you covered, with new albums being added every day. If an album is available in 24-bit, that’s what you get. Primephonic is a Dutch-American start-up founded by a team of classical music lovers with the ambition to create a better future for classical music by finally developing a streaming service that gets classical right. Get your 14-day free trial now.
• Qobuz - since 2007. "70 Million Tracks. Artist-Approved Sound." The richest Hi-Res catalogue available for streaming and download. French commercial music streaming and downloading service. Qobuz offers all music in MP3 at 320 kbps, CD-DA quality lossless (16-bit/44.1 kHz) as well as hi-res quality lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) for certain music; downloads are offered in either WAV, AIFF, ALAC, and FLAC for hi-res quality, with lossless WMA also available for CD quality music only, and MP3, standard WMA, and AAC in 128 kbps or 320 kbps for lossy quality. Qobuz and Tidal are the only available hi-res streaming services for popular music, as Deezer's HiFi plan includes CD quality at most, and Primephonic provides only classical music. Qobuz currently offers four plans: Studio Premier (Base subscription, monthly as well as annual with discount), and Studio Sublime (An annual-only subscription that adds a discount on downloads,) as well as Family variants, with up to six users, of each plan.
• SOUNDCLOUD - since 2007. "Hear the world’s sounds." Online audio distribution platform and music sharing website based in Berlin, Germany that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. SoundCloud is the world’s leading social sound platform where anyone can create sounds and share them everywhere. Recording and uploading sounds to SoundCloud lets people easily share them privately with their friends or publicly to blogs, sites and social networks. It takes just a click to share sounds to Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and Foursquare. SoundCloud can be accessed anywhere using the official iPhone and Android apps, as well as hundreds of creation and sharing apps built on the SoundCloud platform.
• SPOTIFY - since 2006. "Listening is everything. Millions of songs and podcasts. No credit card needed." Spotify offers digital copyright restricted recorded music and podcasts, including more than 70 million songs, from record labels and media companies. As a freemium service, basic features are free with advertisements and limited control, while additional features, such as offline listening and commercial-free listening, are offered via paid subscriptions. Users can search for music based on artist, album, or genre, and can create, edit, and share playlists. The best way to listen to music and podcasts on mobile or tablet. Spotify is now free on mobile, tablet and computer. Listen to the right music, wherever you are. Millions of songs on your computer, on your mobile and available offline. Brought to you ad free. It is one of the world's largest music streaming service providers, with over 356 million monthly active users, including 158 million paying subscribers, as of March 2021.
• Tidal - since 2014. "Clearly the best sound. All your favorite music. Best sound quality available. With our library of over 70 million tracks and 250,000 videos, you’ll get the ultimate music experience." Subscription-based music streaming service that combines lossless audio and high definition music videos with curated editorial. The service has over 25 million tracks and 75,000 music videos. Currently offering no free subscription plans, Tidal claims to pay the highest percentage of royalties to music artists and songwriters within the music streaming market.
• TUNECORE - since 2005. "The best way to sell your music on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify & more." TuneCore principally offers musicians and other rights-holders the opportunity to distribute and sell or stream their music through online retailers such as iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, Tidal, and others. TuneCore also offers music publishing administration services, helping songwriters register their compositions and collect royalties internationally.
• YouTube Music - since 2015. Mobile app developed by YouTube; it provides a tailored version of the service oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through music videos on YouTube based on genres, playlists, and recommendations. The service integrates with the YouTube Red subscription service, which enables ad-free and audio-only background playback. As of May 2019, the app is available in 50 countries.