Okay, so I’d been using Amazon Music for quite a while, mostly because it was bundled with Prime. It was just… there. Easy. But lately, I started getting a bit fed up. The interface felt clunky after the last update, finding new stuff was a chore, and sometimes songs I liked just vanished. Plus, I started wondering if I was missing out on better sound quality or features elsewhere. So, I decided it was time to actually look around and see what else was out there.
Starting the Hunt
First thing I did was just plain old searching online. Looked up articles comparing different music streaming services. Lots of tech sites review these things, you know? But I take those with a grain of salt. Everyone seems to have their favorite. I also asked a couple of buddies what they used. One swore by Spotify, another was deep into Apple Music because of his iPhone.
My main goals were pretty simple: needed a big library (I listen to a weird mix of stuff), decent sound quality (didn’t need ultra-HD, but better than muddy), good playlist features, and reliable offline downloads for my commute. Price was a factor too, but I was willing to pay a bit more if it felt worth it.
Dipping My Toes In: Spotify
Spotify seemed like the obvious first stop. Everyone talks about it. So, I signed up for their free trial. Installation was straightforward on my phone and laptop.
- First impression: The app felt way smoother than Amazon’s. Much cleaner look.
- What I liked: The discovery stuff is actually pretty good. The personalized playlists like “Discover Weekly” gave me some decent new tracks. Making and sharing playlists was super easy. Lots of people I know are on it, so sharing is simple. The library seemed huge, couldn’t find anything missing right away.
- What I didn’t: The free tier ads were annoying, obviously, but the trial skipped those. Sound quality on the standard plan felt maybe a tiny bit better than Amazon, but not mind-blowing.
I used it solid for about two weeks. It felt like a real contender.
Giving Apple Music a Go
Next up, Apple Music. Since I use an iPhone sometimes (though my main computer isn’t a Mac), I thought I should give it a fair shot. Again, grabbed a free trial.
- First impression: Interface was okay. Very… Apple. Clean, but sometimes I felt a bit lost trying to find certain settings. It integrated well with my phone, naturally.
- What I liked: Sound quality seemed pretty good, maybe a step up, especially some of the lossless tracks they offer. The library was massive, similar to Spotify. Integration with my existing iTunes library (yeah, I still had some old stuff) was kinda neat.
- What I didn’t: Discovery felt weaker than Spotify’s for me. The recommendations weren’t as spot-on. The desktop app felt a bit neglected compared to the mobile one. Didn’t feel as intuitive for making and managing playlists.
It was alright, but it didn’t grab me the way Spotify did initially.
What About YouTube Music?
I already had YouTube Premium for ad-free videos, and that includes YouTube Music. So, I figured I’d properly try the music part.
- First impression: It felt… like YouTube, but for music. Not necessarily a good thing. A bit messy.
- What I liked: The library is insane because it pulls in basically everything ever uploaded to YouTube. Live versions, covers, obscure stuff – it’s all there. If you can’t find it anywhere else, you’ll probably find it here.
- What I didn’t: Sound quality was really inconsistent. Official tracks sounded fine, but random uploads could be terrible. Organization felt like a nightmare. Playlisting was okay, but the interface just wasn’t as slick as Spotify or Apple Music for pure music listening. It felt more like a bonus feature of YouTube Premium than a dedicated, polished music service.
Good for finding rare tracks, but not really for my main listening.
Other Brief Tries
I briefly looked into Tidal because people rave about the sound quality. Signed up for a trial. Yes, the sound quality was noticeably better, especially with good headphones. But honestly? It felt like overkill for my daily listening, mostly through earbuds on the train or average speakers at home. And it cost more. The library felt slightly smaller for some of my niche genres too. So, I didn’t stick with it.
Considered Deezer too, but by this point, I was getting a bit tired of signing up for trials. Looked similar to Spotify in many ways, maybe I’ll check it out another time if I feel the need again.
Making the Call
So after a month or so of bouncing between services, I had a clearer picture. Amazon Music was definitely out for me. The user experience just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Apple Music was decent, especially sound-wise, but didn’t feel as user-friendly day-to-day, particularly for discovery.
YouTube Music is great as a backup for finding oddities, but not as a primary service.
Tidal had amazing sound, but the price and library didn’t quite match my needs.
In the end, I landed on Spotify. It hit the sweet spot for me. The interface is smooth, discovery works well, playlist management is easy, the library is vast, and it works seamlessly across all my devices. The sound quality is perfectly fine for my usual listening habits. I ended up canceling the Amazon Music subscription and paying for Spotify Premium.
It’s been a few months now, and I’m pretty happy with the switch. It just feels easier and more enjoyable to use day-to-day. Finding alternatives took a bit of effort, actually trying them out side-by-side, but it was worth it to find something that fits better than just sticking with the default option.