Music Distribution Services :
Who Wins the Spotify vs YouTube Music vs Apple Music War
In the last few decades , we have seen quite a few waves of the music streaming revolution . From CDs to Napster to iPods , music distribution services have had to get with the times and come to a stage where unlimited music is streamed for free from every corner of the world .
Music Distribution Services : Which is the Best ? The three big giants in the music distribution industry in 2021 are Spotify , Apple Music and YouTube Music . We are seeing the ripples of a new social media and technology revolution , but will they be enough to push one of these titans out of business ?
Before answering that question , let ’ s take a good look at how these companies differ and what their similarities are .
Is Spotify facing a threat in the business ? A report of Spotify ’ s second-quarter numbers from 2021 showed that they bagged 7 million premium subscribers , totalling their monthly active users to a whopping 365 million in this quarter . These figures were below what the company had expected especially in countries like India and Brazil . CEO and founder , Daniel Ek announced that Spotify will continue to cement its standing as the preferred audio platform around the world . Are the other two giants giving Spotify these jolts with the competition ?
Even with more than double the premium subscriptions of Apple Music , Spotify has incurred a loss of $ 698 million in 2020 . They have been aggressively pushing advertisements during music streaming to streamline losses and urge people to shift to premium but that comes with a side of annoyed consumers .
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Artists also have been complaining about the low pay rate per stream , which is $ 0.00437 currently , and have threatened to leave Spotify . Taylor Swift and Radiohead ’ s Thom Yorke boycotted Spotify over this artist revenue model in 2014 . For three years Taylor pulled off all her music from the streaming service , claiming that Spotify ’ s royalties per play were too low . Both the artists came back on the streaming service eventually , but this episode will remain big enough to tarnish Spotify ’ s image among artists .
Now that YouTube Music is gaining traction with every new update , Spotify needs to buckle up if it doesn ’ t want to be left behind in the game .
The platform has been praised for its web of connectivity and AI that suggests music , but listeners have claimed that they would like to see a more intuitive approach to making playlists and extra content on the application . Users like having access to lyrics when they are listening to a song for the first time . Spotify needs to listen to what the people need and act on it right away .
A huge advantage that Spotify has in the streaming business is that it is the most culturally relevant platform for artists . If you are a hit on Spotify , you are branded as a successful artist . The streaming service should use this as a unique proposition before the other two giants take over the market with their frequent updates .
Apple Music ’ s update might change how music is listened to In June 2021 , Apple Music came up with a new update that might change the music industry forever . It is ready to give its users an immersive listening experience through multidimensional sound and clarity . This has become possible through Spatial
Audio with Dolby Atmos in Lossless Audio . This means the listener will be able to experience music exactly how it was made in the studio . This update will be available on AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip . This technological advancement might pave the way for a new music revolution in the industry .
Apple Music still has a long way to go in terms of music suggestion and playlist curation AI but updates like these might just put them at par with the competitors .
What ’ s new and exciting about YouTube Music Everyone ’ s been testing out YouTube Music , a streaming platform launched globally in 2015 , entering the Indian market in 2019 . It has gained quite the following despite being the youngest contender in this war . Tech experts are calling it the lovechild of Spotify and Apple Music , and it rightly brings everything Spotify and Apple Music couldn ’ t do , to the table .
YouTube Music is known to have every song that you could ever think of . Now , we know that Spotify India doesn ’ t give their audience access to a lot of top artists so YouTube Music takes the win here .
It brings both lyrics and videos while music streaming and since YouTube is a video content creation platform , live and cover music also thrive on this platform . It also takes the song suggestion feature to the next level by suggesting entire playlists related to the songs you personally add to your playlist .
YouTube Music also has announced a very unique program that sets it apart from its adversaries . Foundry is a global