We cannot imagine life without music. We need its rhythm for every mood and occasion of our life, be it for a soothing evening or a feisty cardio workout, or before going into a sound sleep or waking up to a rejuvenated morning. Music holds us together through the ebb and flow of life. It is one of the most sought-after feature in Android devices.
Music forms one of the key features of Google Home and our smart devices. Each of us has our own set of favorite tunes, artists, genres and melodies that we love to listen to and expect it to be part of every devices that we use, be it a smart TV or our smartphone. There are a plethora of music apps and services that can satisfy our love for music.
In this article we will talk about the apps that provides the best value for your money and gives a service that fits to your need.
We all are pretty familiar with YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify and Google Play Music. There are also a host of other music services like Tidal and Deezer. The thing is, not every app is available in every country. There are quite a few music streaming apps that are available to Indian music lovers, like Saavn, Gaana, SoundCloud, Wynk and Apple Music.
Spotify is yet to open its services in India, if it does then by all measures it is one of the best music streaming apps out there. It has amazing user interface and most importantly, you do not have to pay to listen to music on Spotify, unlike other apps. They have got a Premium service, which lets you listen to songs that you want to. For free, you can listen to a host of songs from your favorite artists and music genres. Spotify also compile ‘Made For You’ and ‘Mega Hit Mix’ based on listening history and it is remarkable.
#1 Apple Music for All
Since, India does not yet have the luck of having Spotify, Apple Music by far is the best bet you have. Yes, it is most lovely with iPhones and Apple devices and is still compatible with Android phones, Apple Music gives a range of services and the quality of songs are top-notch. After you begin your free trial for 3 months you can get a monthly student subscription for 60 bucks, and a family subscription for 6 people at Rs 190.
The Apple Music has a clean user interface with no ads. Also, the library has a limit of up to 100,000 songs. The app gives the best feel with Apple products but honestly, does not make much of a difference with Android phones. The downside is Apple Music does not run on Chromebooks, and Android TV. With a capacity of 40 million songs and a streaming speed of 256 kbps, Apple Music will do justice to your penchant for good music.
#2 Google Play Music
It is not one of the best out there, but it still has a relatively better user interface with a library of decent songs in good audio quality. You can also upload your own up to 50,000. The best thing about Google Music is that it comes with YouTube Music subscription too and costs around Rs 89 per month. Not sure if you can do that in India though.
Google Music mostly covers well known music bands and names, including Bollywood. Sometimes it does miss out on some of the most popular songs. But if you like offbeat music and outlandish bands then this is perhaps not for you.
This app has got a nice download manager where you can aptly organize your downloaded songs and keep tab on what you are currently listening to. Google Play music is also great in managing radio stations. It displays the list of 20 upcoming songs and lets you choose if you want to skip any.
#3 Amazon Prime Music
Amazon Prime membership, which costs Rs 999 for a year gives you the benefit of unlocking Amazon’s huge music library. Amazon Prime Music has a clean and fluid user interface that looks nice and modern. It is compatible with Alexa and hence it can be played from any devices that is in sync with Alexa. Amazon vouches for the Prime Music to be a storehouse of millions of songs.
Currently Prime Music needs to beef up its recommendations and playlist to become more matured like Apple Music or Spotify. The playlist is very basic, and you have little to no choice in controlling the quality of music you listen to.
#4 Gaana
If you are into Bollywood songs, old or new, and Hindi band songs then Gaana is definitely for you. And the best thing about it is its Free! You have to develop a patience for its pesky ads and can get a premium version for Rs 99 to get rid of that.
With over 30 million songs Gaana has a nice overall user interface and good sound quality for most of the songs. It has a nice social media interface unlike other music streaming apps and you can share your songs over social media apps through Gaana. With a strong pool of Hindi and regional music Gaana is a good recommendation for music.
There is also other Indian apps like Saavn and Wynk. Saavn has a very poor user interface and cluttered and clumsy app that needs major makeover. It has recently fused with Jio and we hope over days it becomes tidier and usable. Wynk too is a good music streaming app and if you are an Airtel user it comes free for you.
