airportlineIt cost $100, but I can't use it anymore.
LucidlethargySpotify is a terrible option to use in 2023. I highly recommend Tidal for anyone with good headphones, speakers, Dac’s, etc.
Honestly, I hate to say it, but even Apple music is a MUCH better solution right now.
DeceptichumYeah, nah.
Spotify is fine. Apple Music is just the same but with worse music recommendations.
SmashingSquidJust tried switching to apple music for the 10th time. Spotify is just so much better for recommendations and while spatial audio is neat the only way to find out if something is available in it is through the promoted playlists or playing the song and seeing if it says Dolby.
I have car thing and while it’s better than pulling out your phone I still wish I had carplay. Have you tried “hey Spotify” on car thing? It hasn’t heard me correctly a single time even parked with the AC off.
I have tidal, switched from Spotify a while ago now. When I first switched I could get the same songs I had on Spotify. Whatever exclusivity you’re talking about isn’t a thing.
I have to ask, what is your issue with Spotify?
alephThe audible difference between Tidal and Spotify is way overblown even with audiophile quality gear.
Apple does sometimes sound better by comparison, but that’s more to do with the fact that they tend to curate their music library better sounding master recordings than it does with what codec/nitrate they use.
The downsides of Apple Music is that it can be a pain if you aren’t already in Apple ecosystem, and its suggestion algorithm often isn’t as good.
Yep I’ve tried them both and can pick between Tidal and Spotify when flicking between the same song but if played a random song on 1 service and not the other I can’t pick it, Spotify is definitely good enough for me.
Yup, and even when doing quick A-B testing, it’s usually a slight volume disparity that makes it able to tell them apart.
The idea that Tidal sounds noticeably better because it offers FLAC instead of a lossy codec is pretty much a myth.
ickplantI like having a family Spotify account, it’s a convenient and cheap way for 5 people to listen to music. Why are they terrible?
They’re successful
Black_GulamanBecause people here like to shit on things that are popular.
_bug0utGenuinely curious why you think Apple Music is better. When I got my first iPad in years last year, I decided to try to go “all-in” on Apple services partly to consolidate and partly to save some money. After about 14-21 days, the only service left standing was Apple News+ (and only because the only other option was NewsReader which is 3x the price and I just generally didn’t love the UI and the way it worked overall).
Apple Music seemed to have slightly less of the music I searched for (I don’t have specifics, it was a year ago) and also seemed to be slower/shittier overall than Spotify. I didn’t love the user experience, either, comparing to Spotify.
I’m all for ditching Spotify (I have all kinds of issues with their general business practices and how they stiff artists, among other things), but like @dinckelman mentioned elsewhere in these comments: “every bit of competition is even more incompetent and greedy than they are.” I’m not going to say Apple is more greedy in this case, but they felt less competent.
Much like movies and tv shows, I’ve just started downloading my music again and putting it in Plex. I stream it to any device that I can put Plex/Plexamp on (or connect my phone to). Not great for music discovery, of course, since it’s only playing music you’ve added to your library.
Seconding Tidal even without hi-fi because they pay artists significantly better than most services but honestly I just buy my music individually like a caveman and self-host it.
Taasz/WoofSpotify uses 320kbps ogg vorbis when on max quality, I would be really surprised if people could tell a difference compared to lossless.
N1cknamedEven if I wasn’t perfectly satisfied with Spotifys offering, I simply couldn’t switch to an alternative for the simple fact that every single person I know is on Spotify.
ѕєχυαℓ ρσℓутσρєNah. Tidal’s collection is nothing compared to Spotify’s and I, like most people, don’t have the equipment to actually benefit Tidal’s higher bitrate. I don’t even have any wish to upgrade, I’m happy with Spotify’s quality. I listen to mosty non-English songs, and let me tell you, Spotify is miles ahead of Apple Music there. For English music, I find them mostly comparable. But Spotify has a nice Linux app, so they get my money.