If you're looking to stream music, chances are you're using Spotify. The brand is one of the biggest in the space, and have been dominant for years.
That is mostly thanks to a suite of new and interesting features. We saw the addition of Spotify AI DJ, for example, as well as the continued development of the annual round up, Spotify Wrapped. We've also seen the long-awaited arrival of Lossless streaming in the last few months.
For me, though, it's still not enough. I've always held some reservations over my Spotify subscription, mainly due to the payments made to artists – many moons ago, my university dissertation studied the payments made to artists by popular streaming services, and Spotify was embarrassingly far behind.
Couple that with steadily rising prices and I've finally taken the plunge into a new world. And no, it's not what you'd think. Away from the more obvious alternatives – Tidal, Apple Music, Qobuz et al – I've switch allegiance over to YouTube Premium.
That's a slightly leftfield choice, so let me explain my thinking. First – and most obvious – I use a lot of YouTube. It's my form of entertainment on the train, at lunch times and most evenings, and that's before we get into using it as a professional research tool. With all of that time spent watching, the growing seconds and minutes of ads started to rack up.
The YouTube Premium offering is much wider than just ad-free viewing, too. Downloads mean I can save content for periods where my internet connection is patchy, which is handy for flights and train journeys with nuisance tunnels.
The subscription cost also includes the YouTube Music app. That's the most directly comparable part of the offering and, as such, is the part which will come under the most intense scrutiny. I have to say, though, I've struggled to find anything to complain about here.
The app goes beyond just streaming, with integrated music videos and live performances from the fuller YouTube app integrated neatly. I've also been really impressed with the algorithm, which seems to understand relationships between tracks a little better than Spotify could.
With both of these services sitting at the same price here in the UK, it's easy to compare them directly. And frankly, I don't see much of a contest. While Spotify has legacy and familiarity, the YouTube offering is much, much fuller, and has left me feeling like I get a lot more bang for my buck.
