Spotify vs. Apple Music: Who’s the Winner?

Spotify

Spotify launched in 2008 but gained significant popularity in the last few years. The streaming service reported to have around 87 million paying subscribers by the end of 2018. There are many pros and cons to both Spotify and Apple Music, but why do people prefer one over the other?

Caleb Kastein is a freshman at PLNU and he has used Spotify for about two years. “I switched from Apple Music. Spotify is easier to use,” Kastein said. He also thinks that Spotify has a more successful future than other streaming platforms. This is mostly because of their successful marketing. Advertising, sharing and special features all make Spotify popular.

Max Geyling, a sophomore music major, said “I prefer [Spotify] because of the options and easy use.”

Making playlists, sharing music with friends, and branching out with Discover Weekly are great components to the service. When it comes to the price, Spotify is $10 a month, but only $5 for students.

Nicole Jones, a sophomore at PLNU, said the discount “saves you so much money in comparison to buying songs off iTunes or paying for Apple Music. There’s also more perks with [Spotify’s] student discount than Apple Music.”

For Spotify, the student discount includes Hulu along with unlimited access to music and podcasts.

Apple Music

Apple Music has a lot of pros, but their 2018 report of subscribers was lower than Spotify with 56 million users.

Lauren Conley is a sophomore at PLNU, and she only uses Apple Music. “I have been listening to Apple Music since 2016. I actually switched from Spotify. I prefer it because I like having everything from Apple all in one place,” she said.

Apple Music’s online presentation is a good selling point for Apple users.

Natalie Bloemhof is a sophomore and Apple Music advocate. “I switched from Spotify because I found it easier to use and navigate,” Bloemhof said.

Tess Murray is a senior at PLNU, and she switched from Pandora to Apple Music. “The big thing about Spotify is the sharing aspect, but I don’t really need that.”

Although many people enjoy the social features on Spotify, it all depends on the listener’s preferences. The price of Apple Music is the same as Spotify: $10 for unlimited, with a 50 percent discount for students. This, however, does not include Hulu. So which streaming service wins? Not to disappoint, but both of them win.

Price is a big factor, in which case Spotify wins because of their free streaming tier with advertisements and their bundle with Hulu. Apple Music, however, has an easy-to-use, familiar layout for anyone who uses other Apple products. The additional features on Spotify like Your Year Wrapped, Discover Weekly, and Friend Activity are all interesting and useful, but only if these are of particular interest to the listener. Although one streaming service may not objectively reign supreme, the good news is that each listener may choose the winner based on their interests.