

TIDAL quickly gained ground as a streaming service with higher-quality audio than its peers like iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify (Amazon and iTunes have since moved into the high-quality lossless music streaming markets). (This figure was later disputed and said to be much closer to 350,000 subscribers). TIDAL was launched in several more territories across Europe and, eight months later, claimed to have gained its first million subscribers.

But TIDAL is most famous for its association with Jay-Z when his company Project Panther Bidco LTD, bought Aspiro and acquired TIDAL in January 2015. TIDAL is another music streaming platform that originated in Europe, this time by a Swedish and Norwegian tech company known as Aspiro, which already owned the popular Norwegian music service WiMP which was also available in Sweden.Īspiro launched the TIDAL brand in October 2014 in the UK, the US, and Canada. The best audio quality you can expect from Spotify is CD quality at 320kbps, the highest MP3 allows for. Unfortunately, Spotify HiFi, the high-resolution streaming option promised for so long, is still MIA at the time of writing. Spotify is known for its sleek user interface, the discovery algorithm that tailors music based on your preferences, and a strong online community that includes shared playlists and suggestions.
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Originally a Swedish audio platform launched in 2008 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorenzton, Spotify has amassed a catalog of tracks that in 2022 was estimated to be over 80 million strong and growing every day.Īll the tracks are available for free, although users can subscribe to Spotify Premium if they want to listen offline and without ads. Only the giant that is Apple Music comes close to that many territories with 163 countries. Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming platform and boasts over 515 million active listeners every month (210 of which are premium subscribers) in 184 countries. Spotify is available in more markets, offers more affordable plans, and boasts a slicker user interface for the casual listener.įor audiophiles, Qobuz offers the best-sounding streams, while TIDAL is the best choice for DJs as it is the only one which offers integration with popular DJ platforms like Serato or Traktor.

Spoiler Alert – Spotify is A Clear Winner (Unless You Are an Audiophile)įor most music streaming subscribers, Spotify is still the best service to sign up to. Let’s look at what they each offer and which service is best for you. Spotify dominates the music streaming subscription services, just like Google dominates the internet search engines–even my mom has a Spotify account!īut what happens when you want better-sounding audio – then the choice is a high-resolution audio streaming service like TIDAL or Qobuz. Instead of purchasing individual tracks, either physically or digitally downloaded, subscribers pay a monthly fee to have access to a huge catalog of tracks. Streaming has forever changed the way we listen to music. Also, check out our post on the best VPNs for music streaming.We review Qobuz against Spotify and TIDAL.Qobuz claims to offer sound quality nearly 30 times superior to Spotify.Sound quality is a crucial factor for serious music lovers when choosing a streaming service.Disclosure: We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases.
