Music Streaming: 11 Useful Tips

Music streaming services have largely replaced CDs and MP3 downloads. Read these useful tips on how to get the most out of these services.

1. Compare music streaming services

The costs of different music streaming services are pretty similar across service providers. Major music streaming services also generally offer more than 40 million titles, and all relevant streaming services charge fixed fees so that you can listen to as much music as you want for as long as you want without paying more or less.

But in spite of their similarities, there are also differences in the titles offered by different streaming services, depending on the genre (jazz or classical, for example). Make sure to get informed about which streaming services have offer the most titles in your preferred music genre. There are also differences in the functions and streaming quality across service providers. The moneyland.ch music streaming comparison provides a good starting point for comparing offers.

2. Use free streaming services to save money

Typically, music streaming services offer some titles for streaming free of charge in addition to their paid offers. If you are okay with the limitations which come with free offers, you can stick to using these and cut out subscription costs altogether. However, depending on the service provider, free offers can be very limited. For example, you may not be able to listen to music when you are offline, you may not be able to select single titles to listen to, and you may not be able to stream in the best available quality. Another disadvantage of free music streaming offers is that your listening experience may be interrupted by advertising.

3. Use free streaming platforms

The number of songs available for streaming through free streaming services like YouTube – with or without accompanying videos – has increased significantly. But these free services have a few disadvantages. For example, the audio quality of many songs is poor, and the listening experience may be interrupted by advertisements – particularly in the case of very popular songs and albums.

4. Avoid streaming via mobile networks

Using your mobile phone to stream music through your mobile service provider involves the transfer of large amounts of data. Because of this, streaming music over a mobile network is only recommended if your mobile plan includes unlimited data. Take particular care not to stream music via mobile networks when traveling outside of Switzerland. The high costs of data roaming make using Swiss mobile plans to stream music while traveling a very costly pastime. Always stream via a wireless local area network (WLAN) whenever possible.

5. Use the offline mode

Many music streaming services come with offline functionality. You can use the offline mode to save selected songs to your device and then play them via the app when you are not connected to the Internet. By doing this, you avoid having to transfer data every time you listen to songs. Using the offline modes offered by streaming services like Spotify lets you enjoy music while traveling without worrying about your phone bill.

6. Cut out the adverts

Many music streaming services are financed by advertising in addition to the money they collect from subscription fees. If advertisements disturb you, you generally have the option of getting a premium subscription without advertisements. In addition to advert-free listening, premium subscriptions generally come with additional value-added features such as offline modes or unlimited replays of song titles.

7. Use free trials

All major streaming services let you test premium subscriptions for free for a short amount of time – typically around one month. However, many require you to provide your credit card information in order to access the free trial. Important: Some service providers automatically convert free subscriptions into paid subscriptions at the end of the trial period. If you do not want to continue using the service on a paid basis, make sure to give notice of termination by the due date.

8. Explore new music

Playlists – collections of song titles – offered by streaming services provide an easy way to discover numerous new songs in a given genre. Some streaming services offer playlists designed for specific activities such as jogging, relaxation or getting up in the morning.

9. Import your existing music collection

Many streaming services let you import your existing music collection – by uploading MP3s, for example. This is beneficial when albums or titles which you enjoy are not available on the music streaming service.

10. Combine the service with your mobile plan

Some Swiss mobile service providers offer premium subscriptions to music streaming services as a complimentary benefit with specific mobile plans. This benefit is often included in mobile plans targeting students and teenagers. However, you typically only receive this benefit for a predetermined time period. Also make sure that you do not buy a mobile plan simply because it includes music streaming as a complimentary feature. Choose a mobile plan that would still make financial sense without complimentary music streaming.

11. Take advantage of discounts

Many streaming services offer family subscriptions designed for families and shared homes for which free streaming services are insufficient. The per-person cost of these subscriptions for individuals sharing the same household is notably lower than that of individual subscriptions. Special discounts for students are also offered.

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Swiss music streaming comparison