I currently have Spotify, mainly because I signed up a while ago and never really bothered to explore alternatives.
I pay €13 every month these days which I feel is quite a lot. I was already thinking of getting a few friends together and sharing a family plan, which would make it cheaper. But if I’m doing that I might as well take a proper look at my options.
What are some good, hopefully ethical, European alternatives? I know Spotify is from Sweden so good in that regard (?). Deezer is French, but also mostly owned by some American investment firm. If I can believe what I read they pay artist a bit more, which sounds like a good thing, but I don’t want my money to mostly go to American investors…
Any advice is highly appreciated!
Qobuz.
Enough said.
But if you want more said, it is better quality audio (especially useful if you’re into hifi and/or headphones. You can also buy audio tracks directly from their store too. Oh and if you also like classical nothing beats it.
Full disclosure, I also use YT Music as I pay for YouTube Premium and it comes with and it has a bigger range but the quality is only about as good as Spotify. It’s fine…but qobuz tracks have more “feeling”. It’s weird. Minimum quality is CD level but,.and especially for classical, higher dynamic range makes tracks just more. If you’re listening on quality open-backed headphones with a wide soundstage, your ears will love it.
I’ve bought music on Qobuz and if I ever have the need for a streaming service this is what i would pick.