The music industry is valued at around 22 billion US dollars. Music is not just art, it is an escape route for many, careers have been built on it and now there are more than just music players or CDs, streaming services and applications like Spotify, amazon music, Wynk music, Apple music, and so on.
Spotify founded in 2006 in Sweden is one of the biggest audio streaming services with over 320 million monthly users out of which 144 million are paid subscribers, not just music from various genres but also podcast shows are offered on Spotify. Amazon Music a music service operated by Amazon, launched in 2007 is a lossless music platform for audiophiles with around 50 million users.
Spotify vs Amazon Music
The main difference between Spotify and Amazon Music are music discovery and sound quality. The “discover weekly” feature on Spotify is undoubtedly one of the exact characteristics which set it apart from other music services. The lossless sound quality of amazon on Amazon Music HD is just perfect to get those old CD-quality hymns.
Comparison Table Between Spotify and Amazon Music
| Parameters of Comparison | Spotify | Amazon Music |
| Music Offered | Spotify offers 40 million tracks to its users. | 50 million tracks, if one has Amazon Music Unlimited. |
| Special Features | Podcasts are another great attraction for this app, they can be on any topic from education, comedy, self-help, stories, and even sports. | They are not offered directly on this platform. |
| Sound Quality | 128kbps-the free tier while premium has a better bit rate to offer. | 256 kbps is the general bit rate, though users can get a better bit rate at a higher price. This feature is by far one of the best ones on Amazon music. |
| Cost-Effectiveness | Has more on offer at a lower price. | Unless one has prime membership, it is not as cost-effective. |
| Music Discovery | The “Discover Weekly” section uses Spotify’s algorithm and suggests the user songs based on their music history. | There is no such feature. |
What is Spotify?
A music service that is now synonymous with music streaming and not just music but also podcasts. This application has been on the rise especially for the past two years, it is compatible with Tablets, phones, windows, and Mac-os. It has over 50 Million libraries of music and the premium comes with no advertisement and a better bit rate. The music discovery algorithm is by far the most outstanding feature of this application, it also helps the consumer connect with the artists they like based on their pattern of music they stream, and this is available for the free version as well.
The podcast section is quite a paradise for people who love to learn about new stuff be it history, entertainment, sport, or even good old crime stories. It can connect to smart speakers quite smoothly as well. It is more widely available throughout the world in up to 79 countries, sharing and downloading music is also easy, but only if you have a premium subscription. The Desktop version is really appealing and user-friendly.
However, there are some disadvantages especially in the free version, the advertisements can ruin the enjoyment of music, also the low quality of music in the free version is another con.
What is Amazon Music?
Coming from the highly successful parent company Amazon, Amazon Music is versatile in terms of music quality, music availability, and compatibility with various platforms. Even though it is not as popular as Spotify, music lovers are gravitating to it and fast! The biggest advantage that Amazon Music provides is its music quality. The bit-rate is adjustable and it can also be 3D or HD in format.
At the beginning of this year, they had 55 million users and another thing that sets it apart from Spotify is the exclusive releases from artists unlike in Spotify, there is content creator equality, and no exclusive releases. As it is an Amazon product, it is compatible with not only Alexa but other smart speakers too.
The disadvantages include one would need to be a prime member or subscribe to amazon music unlimited and there is no podcast feature on this platform. Though the listener can listen to podcasts on the smart speaker via a third party application.
Main Differences Between Spotify and Amazon Music
- The music catalog though is similar in both, Spotify’s algorithm has better music recommendation.
- The price range is a bit more on Amazon Music Unlimited is more than Spotify Premium.
- The bit-rate is better in Amazon Music than Spotify. As a result, the music experience is better on Amazon Music than Spotify.
- The podcast section in Spotify really helps the user explore outside of traditional music.
- The user interface is pretty similar for both platforms, though it in desktop mode, amazon music is not as fluid as Spotify.
Conclusion:
There is no clear verdict as to which one is the sure choice, it all depends on what the user is looking for. If the user is looking for curated playlists, newer artists, podcasts on various subjects then Spotify is the way to go. The Spotify Premium offers ad-free music, unlimited downloads, and even has a feature called “Group Session”, wherein the users can stream the same songs together from far away. Given the present situation, this feature would really come in handy for many people.
The Spotify algorithm is also helpful for the artists as it helps them to connect and get discovered by their consumer base, though there has been some discontent over the payment of royalties to the artists, in the past years. Finally, at the end of the year “Spotify wrapped” is quite the walk down memory lane, what music got you grooving and kept you moving through the year.
On the other hand, Amazon Music Unlimited has the best Bit-rate probably amongst all the music streaming services and the CD-quality music appeals to a lot of audiophiles. Also, the exclusive releases on Amazon Music are something that edges it over Spotify.
References
- https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3209219.3209223
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17510694.2015.1096618