Which streaming service for the whole family?

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fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
As per the title, really. :)

My daughter has the free Spotify, seems to like it, but I'll be buggered if I can find out what sort of music is on Spotify. It's easy for the casual researcher to do this on Amazon. Picture the scene - I hear something good on YouTube (KEXP or NPR Tiny Desk), go to Amazon and quickly discover that it's there on Music Unlimited.

So for me I'm pretty sure Amazon would be fine. I'm not sure why it's touted as a middle-of-the-road service if I can get the obscure stuff on there. The majority of people don't listen to Ukranian folky stuff one minute, Jordi Savall the next, and yet it's all there on Amazon.

I'm pretty sure my wife would be happy with Amazon as well. In fact she usually just listens to LBC these days.

So my daughter is the one I need to investigate for I guess, as I hear Spotify is best for younger listeners. She's 14 but seems to listen to any misogynistic grimy shit she can find. :) Obviously the solution is to ask I guess, since she would probably be happiest listening to friends' playlists etc. so she would prefer the Spotify thing.

So what do you subscribe to, and why? Or is there another way?
Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
My feedback thread is here.
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Comments

  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    Who knew - the answer was to sign up to Spotify free and see what they have. :-)

    Seems to be equal to or better than Amazon for the stuff I have searched for so far....
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    Amazon music is free if you have Prime too, so that's handy
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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    sweepy said:
    Amazon music is free if you have Prime too, so that's handy
    Ah OK. That's the limited version though, I guess? The trouble is there are only 3 of us but we need to use that many devices on whichever service we choose.
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • NickLNickL Frets: 150
    The music service included with Amazon Prime is only free if you're logged in as the main account holder, and can't be shared with other users in a family group even if you trust them with your saved payment details (unlike video streaming and free delivery).
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7732
    edited July 2019
    I'd be amazed if you can't find what you are after on Spotify.
    I pay £15 a month for a family subs (me n my lodger, plus 2 friends living elsewhere) and that gets you up to 5 users with their own library, playlist etc.

    It integrates with Amazon's Echo so you just say:
    "Alexa, fuck off"

    But more to the point:
    "Alexa, play songs by artist/album/song title  on Spotify"
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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    Cheers all, I think Spotify it is.
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    edited July 2019
    PS. Well Spotify is impressing me at the moment. I tried searching for some obscure, almost long-forgotten music from my youth and young adulthood, and after both services didn't have any Purple Things, Spotify struck gold with Janitors' Thunderhead EP while Amazon was found wanting.
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • TheMarlinTheMarlin Frets: 7744
    I use Apple Music. Have a family subscription, so wife and kids all use it. 
    Was a bit patchy at first, but is a lot better now. I’m very happy with it. 
    Recommendation engine isn’t so hot, but I use other sources to find new music, the listen via phone.

    I connect it to my hifi. I use Apple TV 3 plus a Toppings D30 DAC to output best quality audio. I stream from my phone to the Apple TV, works a treat.  

    Sounds great. Not quite as good as my very decent CD player, but immensely easy to use, and can flick from album to album without getting my lardy arse off the sofa 
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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    Another Spotify family user here.
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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    fields5069 said:

     Spotify struck gold with Janitors' Thunderhead EP while Amazon was found wanting.
    That's a blast from the past for sure! Must give it a listen
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    We have a Google Music family subscription.

    I've been using GMusic since the beta. It's not perfect. But the ability to add my own music that is missing from the catalogue puts it above some other services.

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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    @fields5069 it was class!
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  • fields5069fields5069 Frets: 3826
    @fields5069 it was class!
    I saw them at the Sugarhouse in Lancaster in 88 or 89, I even had a Thunderhead t-shirt for a while. In fact I'm pretty sure I have the EP on vinyl.
    Some folks like water, some folks like wine.
    My feedback thread is here.
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    Ah the shagger, I was there 94-96 

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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11673
    They are all deeply similar, both in price and content.

    Spotify for me remains the original and best, though they need to remove the stupid arbritrary 10k song limit on your "saved" music.  It's trivially easy to work around with playlists, but its unnecessary.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • RobDaviesRobDavies Frets: 3062

    Spotify is about the best I've tried.  I can't find/hear any difference with Spotify Extreme and Tidal HiFi.

    The only downside is that there are several albums with some horrific file transfer issues (it's the same on Tidal, too).

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  • bobblehatbobblehat Frets: 531
    Spotify Family here to.
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    RobDavies said:

    Spotify is about the best I've tried.  I can't find/hear any difference with Spotify Extreme and Tidal HiFi.

    The only downside is that there are several albums with some horrific file transfer issues (it's the same on Tidal, too).

    Hi bitrate MP3 is transparent, that's why paying for Tidal HiFi is a mug's game. 

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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11673
    RobDavies said:

    Spotify is about the best I've tried.  I can't find/hear any difference with Spotify Extreme and Tidal HiFi.

    The only downside is that there are several albums with some horrific file transfer issues (it's the same on Tidal, too).

    Hi bitrate MP3 is transparent, that's why paying for Tidal HiFi is a mug's game. 
    Tru Dat, Spotify is Ogg Vorbis 320kbps at premium as well, which is a step up from even high bitrate MP3.

    For most people, anything above about 192kbps MP3 or 128kbps AAC with a modern encoder will be transparent, and all the streaming services are way above this.

    What @RobDavies says is quite interesting though, "file transfer" issues?  I wouldn't be surprised if the error was more at the encoding than uploading stage?
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    edited July 2019

    I have around 3,500 albums, EPs and singles in iTunes stored as 320kbps MP3 or 256kbps AAC files. I have never really considered streaming as a replacement for this but would consider it if I could be sure everything I have is available on say Spotify.

    I have some vinyl rips of music never released on CD with B-sides etc. I don't suppose I'm going to find these on Spotify will I?

    What about things like music box sets, such as The Jam's 45s singles box set etc?


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