Impressively, Apple says every one of those songs will soon become available to stream in lossless audio, with several thousand also available in Spatial Audio format. The latest upgrade to Apple Music offers subscribers the same level of access as the standard subscription – a library of around 75 million songs and counting – as well as Apple-exclusive radio stations like Apple Music 1 (formerly Beats 1), Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country. Tidal is only available in 60 countries, too, with large markets like India and China yet to gain access to the platform. Of the three hi-res music streamers in this guide, Tidal Hi-Fi remains the most expensive at $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$23.99 per month – double the $9.99 / £9.99 / $11.99 monthly cost of its standard offering – with the justification of improved audio quality somewhat undermined by Apple and Amazon’s now-equivalent high-res services. If you’re a Prime subscriber, then, Amazon Music is still the cheapest of the major streaming platforms, offering value for money which is made even more apparent when compared to Tidal. The Amazon Music HD tier was previously an additional cost per month for subscribers to the Individual or Family Plan, but Amazon recently scrapped the charge. Amazon Music is priced at $7.99 / £7.99 / AU$6.99 per month for Prime members and $9.99 / £9.99 / £11.99 per month for non-Prime customers, with similar discounts available for the Family Plan. Like Apple, Amazon is also offering a high-res upgrade for its music streaming service for no extra cost. That's largely down to Apple Music's hi-res audio support, while Spotify suffers due to its perpetual HiFi delay. Given that Apple Music by-and-large remains the same price as Spotify, then, even in spite of the audio upgrades arriving for the former, you’re actually getting a better deal from Apple right now. It’s worth noting that these prices reflect recent increases imposed by Spotify, so don’t expect them to change any time soon. Spotify Premium Duo, designed for couples or two friends, costs $12.99 / £13.99 / AU$15.99 a month for two accounts. Unlike Apple Music – which requires a paid subscription beyond a free timed trial – Spotify offers a free version of its platform, though the intrusion of ads and inability to listen to tracks offline means many opt for Spotify’s Premium plan, which costs $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99.įamily and student plans are also available worldwide, priced at $15.99 / £16.99 / AU$17.99 and $4.99 / £5.99 / $5.99, respectively. A cheaper plan is also available for students ($4.99 / £4.99 / AU$5.99). That means users have access to the new audio formats for the standard price of $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 per month, or $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$17.99 for a family subscription for up to six people. Price and availabilityĪrriving for subscribers last year in June 2021, spatial and lossless audio options became part of Apple’s existing Apple Music plans at no extra cost. In this guide, we compare all four services – Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Tidal HiFi – as they exist now, with a focus on their price, availability and features. Throw Tidal into the mix, which already offers a high-fidelity subscription option, and audiophiles are spoilt for choice when looking for a music streaming service with a focus on exceptional sound quality.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |