Expect changes with Jack Dorsey and Square's recent acquisition of the service – NFTs anyone? There’s even a growing amount of video content, from standard music videos to exclusive Tidal Originals content, which includes interviews and live music sessions. This has definitely earned it some kudos within the audiophile community, and Tidal Connect – a feature that allows you to stream to compatible devices over Wi-Fi without leaving the app – is built into hi-fi kit from the likes of KEF, Bluesound, Cambridge Audio and Dali.Įase of use is top notch across both desktop and smartphone, the catalogue is extensive at 60m+ and while its recommendations aren’t as good as Spotify, it does still throw up some good suggestions based on your previous usage, as well as surfacing trending and popular content too. Sign up to Spotify for free/from £10 per month Price: Free (ad-supported) | Premium (320kbps): £10 | Duo (two people): £13 | Family plan (6 people): £15 | Student: £5 Pros: Great, exclusive content a range of subscription options ease of use Cons: No lossless… yet podcast push is a little heavy handed Not quite the high-res quality of some of its competition, but a good step in the right direction. However, Spotify HiFi has been announced as coming “later this year”, and will offer lossless CD-quality streams. The only thing it drops the ball on at the moment is sound quality, offering just 320kbps for its premium users and 160kbps to free members. The latter includes access to Spotify Kids, an age-appropriate version of the service aimed at younger listeners with stringent parental controls. This is all wrapped up in a UI that’s really easy to use and a number of different subscription options, including an entirely free, ad-supported option and a Family plan. They’re very much a core feature of Spotify in 2021.
That podcast push might feel a little heavy handed for those who don’t listen to podcasts, or prefer to listen to them elsewhere. Instead its things like its brilliant, sometimes spookily accurate recommendation engine, its extensive device compatibility, from smart speakers to TVs and its growing podcast offering, including big-name exclusives from The Joe Rogan Experience and Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Audio. With over 70 million songs to stream, its music catalogue is undeniably vast, but that’s not actually something that sets it apart from the competition these days.
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