Music streaming platforms have made the music lover’s life more convenient. They no longer have to resort to pirated music or bear the effort of downloading their favourite music from torrents. And now with Spotify finally getting a welcome in India, things have become more exciting for both the musicians and their fans. Let’s take a look at some of India’s favourite music streaming apps and what they offer their users.
Spotify: Spotify is a Sweden-based music streaming platform, which originally introduced itself in October 2008. Within the very first week of its launch in India, Spotify garnered one million subscribers. Currently, it is present in 65 countries and has over 159 million users, including 71 million premium subscribers. Just like its global version, in the Indian version, too, you get access to features like the ‘Discover’ curation, which you can find under ‘Search’. You get to hear curated playlists, too, based on what other users are listening to in all the major cities in India like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Also, you can listen to the Editor’s picks, best of artists and multiple auto-generated playlists. Apart from Bollywood, you can lend your ears to a variety of music in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi. With the premium version of Spotify, you can both listen to and download music without a net connection and enjoy non-stop music without ads.
Read | The cool feature that Spotify has but Apple Music, Amazon Music, & JioSaavn don’t
Apple Music: With Apple Music, you can search for your favourite artistes and bands, explore curated music video playlists and watch topmost music videos. There are also playlists created according to mood—chill, motivation, workout, etc. Also, Apple Music brings you lyrics right on the app while the song is playing. For students, it is Rs 60 per month. For others, it is Rs 120 per month and for a family pack, you need to pay Rs 190 a month. You can also get a free 30-month trial (which you can cancel anytime) to decide if you want to stick. The best part is that Apple music is compatible not only with an iPhone, but also an iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac, CarPlay, PC, Android and Sonos. Apple Music’s 40 million paid subscribers are spread across 115 countries.
Amazon Prime Music: With an Amazon Prime membership, you can enjoy music with no ads and unlimited offline downloads. The app, which can be accessed in multiple languages, gives you the option to dictate Alexa to play any music for you—just say, “Alexa, play what’s hot in Mumbai”, and you will hear all the music that Mumbaikars are listening to. The music editors have curated hundreds of playlists across moods, genres, artists and decades, so you have a vast array of music to listen to. Amazon Prime Music can be played on one device at a time on Android and iOS, Desktop app, Web Player, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Echo devices and other Alexa-enabled devices. Although Amazon Prime Music refuses to disclose the number of users, they claim to have doubled their Indian users from the time of their launch in India in February 2018.
JioSaavn: JioSaavn by Reliance lets you choose an artist, a mood or song and then creates a mix for you. It is compatible with Android, iOS and Windows. In case you are a fan of classics from the 30s and 40s, enjoy the retro music of 70s and 80s, and dig regional music, then Saavn is for you. You will find songs in almost all Indian languages—Odia, Assamese, Telugu, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali and Bhojpuri, among others. You can access it on Google Play, Apple Store and Windows Store. JioSaavn has some 45 million songs—including a bunch of originals started by Saavn—and access to the Jio network, which claims more than 250 million subscribers.
Gaana: Gaana, which claims to have 80 million users today, had its beginnings in April 2010. The music streaming service offers both Indian and international music. The entire Indian music catalogue is available to users worldwide and has music in 21 languages, including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, English, Bengali, Odia, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, etc. Gaana allows users to make their playlists public, so they can be seen by others who can view and pick favourites. Gaana’s mobile app supports almost all operating systems. For one month, Gaana Plus comes at Rs 99, for three months, it is Rs 199 and for six months, you pay Rs 249.
Wynk Music: Airtel customers can opt for Wynk Music using their mobile network or Airtel Wi-Fi. Wynk is available in several Indian languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Rajasthani and Assamese. From retro hits and superhits of the 90s to devotional music and UK Top 40, you can choose from a variety of popular music. Wynk has ensured that children, too, don’t feel left out, as they have various selections for them like Disney Junior, Bachha Party and Kindergarten. Wynk Music, which comes free, has reportedly over 75 million downloads.
Raaga: From cult classics to world music, Raaga has it all. The trial period is for 14 days, and after that, you can try out Raaga Premium, which gives you many benefits. With the premium feature, you can download music without an internet connection. There is also a 24×7 live radio available in over 10 languages, and this includes daily news, audio stories, podcasts and personalised talk shows on entertainment, business, technology and sports, among others. Plus, there are artist-based radio channels, which give you the option to choose music based on composers, lyricists, actors and singers. You can also create and share playlists with friends on Raaga, which claims to have more than seven million users.
