iTunes Radio, Spotify, Pandora or iHeartRadio: Which Streaming Music Service is for You?

When Apple unveiled iTunes Radio it jumped into a saturated market music streaming Much like the options you have when you want to watch a movie or TV show online there are many places you can go to get your Radiohead fix But not all music services are created equal and they don39t all have the same goals From Pandora to Spotify to iTunes Radio and everything in between which are worth your time money and earsiTunes Radio 0 2499yearIf you39ve been impressed with the Genius feature of iTunes you39re going to love iTunes Radio If you39ve never used Genius before it39s a really simple quotmusic discovery toolquot a key phrase for many of these music services that can build automatic playlists and find new music based on the artists albums and tracks you like the most Based on how often you listen to certain music in your iTunes library iTunes Radio takes your tastes into account and plays tracks that it thinks you39ll like iTunes Radio is launching this fall for free for everyone and will be supported with text and audio ads If you pay 2499 for an annual iTunes Match subscription you39ll be exempt from all ads What39s nice about the service is that you can skip tracks hey amp8211 not every suggestion can be a winner and if you really love a song each track has a quotBuyquot button in the corner of the screen that will prompt an immediate download iTunes Radio will be available on iPhone iPad iPod touch Mac PC and or Apple TVPandora 0 399month Pandora is very similar to iTunesamp8217s Genius feature or vice versa depending upon who you ask Based on the Music Genome Project Pandoraamp8217s team of music experts have analyzed up to 450 musical characteristics of millions of songs to provide you with the best customized music experience Pandora lets you create and manage up to 100 amp8220stationsamp8221 based on an artist song or genre and then lets you tinker with them to get exactly the feel you want Like iTunes Radio you donamp8217t have control over what song you hear next but you do get to control the type of amp8220stationamp8221 you39re listening to The free version of Pandora is adsupported but for four bucks a month or 36 a year you can sign up for Pandora One One removes external advertising and gives you access to the Pandora desktop player app more song skips access to higher quality audio and unlimited listening time across all devices Pandora can be downloaded on iOS Android BlackBerry Windows Phone Nook and Kindle Fire devices has made its way into over a dozen different automotive manufacturersamp8217 cars and onto dozens of connected devices in your home Around since 2000 Pandoraamp8217s been in the music streaming game longer than most other companies out there and the service is arguably better now than it has ever been If you want an easy and free way to listen to music Pandora is a great fitSpotify 0 999monthThe best part of Spotify is that you can essentially treat it like an iTunes library and listen to exactly what you want when you want Spotify is adsupported so it39s free on the web and in its desktop client Bumping up to its 39Unlimited39 level for 499month means you don39t have to deal with advertisements Spotify39s 39Premium39 level is 999month and unlocks the service39s full potential You39re able to stream your music on every device amp8211 including smartphones and tablets which were excluded in the free and 39Unlimited39 levels amp8211 and can also save music to be played while offline which is very convenient when traveling Another one of Spotify39s big selling points is its Facebook integration You39re able to easily connect your Facebook account to your Spotify account which lets you follow your friends39 playlists on Spotify and also listen to music along with them from anywhere in the world You can also minimize the level of Facebook integration or not sync the two accounts at all Spotify is considerably more expensive than many of the other music services but it39s also far more robustiHeartRadio FreeIf you want an audio service that39s more than just music check out iHeartRadio iHeartRadio is a free allinone digital radio service that features a ton of your favorite live radio stations For people in the New York area stations like Z100 1067 Lite FM and Q1043 are all available to stream on iHeartRadio If you39re away from a traditional radio amp8211 or just want access to your favorite station with crystal clear playback amp8211 iHeartRadio is there for you It39s also interactive amp8211 you39re able to thumbs up or thumbs down each and every song that39s played giving radio stations realtime feedback as to whether the songs they play are hot or not iHeartRadio is more than just terrestrial radio stations though amp8211 you39re also able to create personalized custom stations just like on Pandora Pick a song or artist to create a commercialfree uninterrupted station that39s generated off of iHeartRadio39s over 15 million songs and nearly half a million artists iHeartRadio isn39t in all the places that some other streaming services can be found but it has found its way onto the Xbox 360 and GoogleTV as well as on your mobile devicesSo amp8211 good better best amp8211 no just a few different business models that offer similar but different experiences I love Spotify it is everything I want from a music streaming service In fact it is everything I want in a music library which begs for the question Do I need to own music in 2013 My personal answer is no I only have to own stuff Spotify doesn39t have and that list gets smaller everydayDo you need to own music or just own access to music Check out these outstanding music streaming services and decide for yourselfShelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York39s Onair Tech Expert WNYWTV and the host of Fox Television39s monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living He also hosts United Stations Radio Network39s Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology media and entertainment He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC an industryleading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences the organization that bestows the coveted Emmyamp174 Awards Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2nd Edition York House Press 2008 the seminal book about the technological economic and sociological forces that are changing everything Overcoming The Digital Divide How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career York House Press 2011 and Digital Wisdom Thought Leadership for a Connected World York House Press 2013 For more information visit shellypalmercomRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

iTunes Radio, Spotify, Pandora or iHeartRadio: Which Streaming Music Service is for You?

Author

Publish date

Channel

Shelly Palmer

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

iTunes Radio, Spotify, Pandora or iHeartRadio: Which Streaming Music Service is for You?

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Shelly Palmer

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

The payment was successful

Cookies