• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech40 Under 40

A Quick Guide to Apple Music, Spotify, and More Top Music Streaming Services

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 11, 2017, 7:37 AM ET

French music streaming company Deezer is attempting to carve out a niche for itself in a global industry dominated by the likes of Spotify and Apple.

Here is a guide to the main players in the fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar market.

SPOTIFY

Founded in Stockholm in 2006, Spotify is the global market leader in terms of paid subscribers—it has more than 60 million, and 140 million active users. It offers over 30 million songs and features include bespoke playlists made for users weekly.

It runs an ad-supported free service. Its paid, ad-free service is available from about $10 a month and allows users to choose, skip and download songs. Analysts say its large user base and data gives it the edge in music recommendation.

Spotify is eying a $13 billion U.S. stock market listing by the end of this year or beginning of next year, sources have told Reuters.

APPLE MUSIC

Two years from its launch, Apple Music (AAPL) is the industry’s number two player with about 28 million paid users. Unlike Spotify, it doesn’t have a free service.

Subscribers can access a catalog of about 40 million songs for about $10 per month—or nearly the entire iTunes catalog, which boasts 45 million songs.

Apple has been seeking to set itself apart via exclusive content, striking deals with individual artists such as Canadian rapper Drake, something Spotify is resisting. It also allows users to integrate their own iTunes libraries.

AMAZON MUSIC UNLIMITED

Amazon Music Unlimited, in third place, has about 16 million paid users. It offers access to about 40 million songs to its Amazon Prime members for about $8 per month, and about $10 for non-members.

Amazon (AMZN) also offers Prime Music, which Prime members get for free and offers access to over 2 million songs and thousands of playlists and radio stations.

Like Apple, Amazon promotes its one-stop-shop advantage and integration with its devices such as digital assistant Alexa.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s tech newsletter.

DEEZER

The 10-year-old French company, at number four, has 9 million paid users, 12 million active users and 43 million tracks. It offers a “freemium” model like Spotify’s, with a monthly subscription of about $10.

Its Flow feature recommends music based on users’ tastes and locations and aims to guess what people may want to listen to at home, at work, or in the gym.

Its Deezer Next program launched this year aims to secure local content by spotting and promoting emerging artists, often in niche genres.

GOOGLE PLAY MUSIC

Google (GOOGL) launched its music streaming service in 2011 and offers about 40 million songs. Users can get full access to the library, build playlists and download music for about $10 a month. Free users are not able to build playlists.

The tech giant allows users to watch music clips while listening to tracks by bundling the app with YouTube, which it also owns. Google, which developed the Android operating system, has also installed Play Music on most of its devices.

Official numbers are not yet available, but a survey of Android users by 7Park Data indicated that Play Music has almost as many active users in the United States as Spotify.

SOUNDCLOUD

The Berlin-based company was born a decade ago. It has over 175 million users—more than any other service—but almost all are non-paying. SoundCloud is widely used by DJs and electro music fans, with its user-generated content a key differentiating factor.

But the company has repeatedly faced financial problems, forcing it to introduce advertising in 2014 and an ad-free subscription of about $10, SoundCloud Go, the following year.

It fired more than 170 people in July and called on investors to rescue it from bankruptcy. Its valuation fell from $700 million to $150 million.

TIDAL

Tidal was founded by Norwegian tech company Aspiro in 2014 and bought by American rapper Jay-Z the following year for $56 million. It offers only subscription services, giving users access to over 48 million tracks and 175,000 music videos as well as exclusive content for about $10 a month.

Earlier this year, U.S. wireless carrier Sprint (S) bought a third of Tidal for a reported $200 million, valuing the company at about $600 million.

Tidal said last year it had exceeded 3 million users.

PANDORA

Pandora (P) is a streaming Internet radio service available only in the United States.

It can be accessed for free, but Pandora Plus users pay about $5 a month for unlimited skips, higher audio quality and replay options while Premium users get offline, on-demand listening as well as customizable playlists for about $10.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: Mytra raises $120 million Series C to scale supply chain robotics amid industry boom
By Allie GarfinkleJanuary 15, 2026
2 hours ago
MagazineIPOs
IPO boom times are back, with SpaceX and OpenAI on investors’ 2026 wish list. But be careful what you buy
By Jeff John RobertsJanuary 15, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo: President Donald Trump during a bill signing event with dairy farmers in the Oval Office on Wednesday January 14, 2026.
InvestingMarkets
Trump’s chips ‘proclamation’ causes retail investors to dump the Magnificent Seven stocks  
By Jim EdwardsJanuary 15, 2026
3 hours ago
The Verizon logo displayed on a smartphone screen on September 30, 2024. (Photo illustration: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Verizon hit with a major U.S. outage
By Andrew NuscaJanuary 15, 2026
3 hours ago
sharma
CommentaryTraining
AI will infiltrate the industrial workforce in 2026—let’s apply it to training the next generation, not replacing them
By Kriti SharmaJanuary 15, 2026
5 hours ago
Young girl uses AI virtual assistant to do schoolwork.Concept of Artificial Intelligence and Futuristic technology
AIEducation
Teachers decry AI as brain-rotting junk food for kids: ‘Students can’t reason. They can’t think. They can’t solve problems’
By Eva RoytburgJanuary 15, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Peter Thiel makes his biggest donation in years to help defeat California’s billionaire wealth tax
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 14, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
'Godfather of AI' says the technology will create massive unemployment and send profits soaring — 'that is the capitalist system'
By Jason MaJanuary 12, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Being mean to ChatGPT can boost its accuracy, but scientists warn you may regret it
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 13, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite his $2.6 billion net worth, MrBeast says he’s having to borrow cash and doesn’t even have enough money in his bank account to buy McDonald’s
By Emma BurleighJanuary 13, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Jamie Dimon warns $38 trillion national debt is going to 'bite': 'You can't just keep borrowing money endlessly'
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 14, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
'Microshifting,' an extreme form of hybrid working that breaks work into short, non-continuous blocks, is on the rise
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 13, 2026
2 days ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.