Subj : Spotify may be raising prices, here are my 3 favorite alternative To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Wed Apr 03 2024 21:15:05 Spotify may be raising prices, here are my 3 favorite alternatives Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2024 20:06:15 +0000 Description: A recent Bloomberg report states Spotify may add an extra two dollars to the standard plan to make up for audiobook costs. FULL STORY ====================================================================== Spotify is reportedly set to raise the prices again . This news from a recent Bloomberg report that cites anonymous sources who told the publication of the streaming giants future plans. According to the insiders, Spotify intends to increase prices by about $1 to $2 a month across five markets by April 30. These include the UK, Australia, and Pakistan. The other two regions were not mentioned. Users in the United States are slated to see the same changes, but they wont happen until later in the year. The reason why the company is bumping subscriptions up again is to help cover the cost of audiobooks, a new type of content that was introduced back in November . Bloomberg explains Spotify has to pay publishers for the books, however the platform only has so much money. They apparently need to charge more to keep them. New tiers Although audiobooks have proven themselves to be popular on Spotify , not everyone listens to them. For those who dont, the company is going to add another subscription plan that will offer music and podcasts only, removing audiobooks as an option. This will keep the current price for individual premium plans . People who buy the new tier will have to pay for audiobooks separately. No updates were given about the long-awaited Supremium plan . Its presumably still in the works, and the launch of the tier may just be around the corner. A user on the truespotify subreddit shared a screenshot of what appears to be the Dolby Atmos logo appearing on the official player, indicating that spatial audio may be an upcoming feature. Hearing the news about yet another price yet hike will probably elicit audible groans, especially if Spotify is charging more for content you may not enjoy. If youre not happy with the direction Spotify is taking and want an alternative, below are the best three recommendations. Tidal - Best overall alternative (Image credit: Tidal) $10.99 / 10.99 / AU$12.99 for HiFi tier $19.99 / 19.99 / AU$23.99 for HiFi Plus Tidal is the best alternative to Spotify for music fans. It offers great audio quality thanks to high resolution streaming, offer an easy-to-navigate UI, millions of songs, and thousands of music videos; all for the same cost as a standard Spotify subscription. You can get CD-quality audio coming through your headphones by opting for HiFi Plus, although it is rather expensive at $20 a month. Its important to mention that Tidal doesnt have a lot of podcasts available. There are a few, but the selection pales in comparison to what Spotify has. This isn't a big deal youre someone who doesnt care about podcasts and prefers music. The service, again, is meant for music aficionados who want to hear their favorite artists in an impeccable quality. Qobuz - Best alternative for audiophiles (Image credit: Qobuz) $12.99 / 12.99 / AU$24.99 for the Studio tier $17.99 / 17.99 / AU$29.99 for Sublime plan If you want a service that has the best audio quality out there, check out Qobuz. You can stream music in the 24-bit FLAC format up to 192KHz. In plain English, that means songs coming from Qobuz are better than the CD-quality tracks. It blows what Spotify has out of the water. Whats great about the service is you dont need to pay extra for Hi-Res audio. The 24-bit FLAC format is part of the basic tier. And if you dont want to commit to a subscription, thats okay because you can purchase individual albums. It is the most expensive alternative. However, at the time of writing, the platform is offering a discount for people who buy the yearly plan . The cost comes out to $10.83 a month for a single person. Similar to Tidal, Quboz lacks podcasts. Again, its aimed at music fans. YouTube Music - Best content alternative (Image credit: YouTube) $10.99 / 10.99 for YouTube Music Premium. In Australia, its a part of YouTube Premium which is $16.99 YouTube Music is an underrated service. Not enough people give it the credit it deserves as a music streaming platform. It does lack hi-res audio. The stream quality on YouTube Music is the same as on Spotify, however, it excels in other areas. The content library on YouTube Music eclipses what you find on its rival. You get millions of songs, tons of podcasts, and a wide assortment of audiobooks, all for free. Plus, you can control what you listen to at any given time. You wont be forced to listen to a radio playlist. Speaking of which, the platform has tons of playlists covering a variety of topics from favorite artists to Adult Swim bumps . And thats just the tip of the iceberg. We didnt even mention other notable features like the ability to upload your own files, the download function, and the opportunity to find rare releases like early demos. You can't listen to music without a good pair of headphones. For recommendations, check out TechRadar's list of the best headphones for 2024 . You might also like Finding new artists on Spotify just got harder after layoffs put an end to useful music encyclopedia, and Im tired of it Tidal's incoming HiFi price cut makes it an even better Spotify alternative Tidal's game-changing feature lets your friends open shared songs in Spotify ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/streaming/spotify-may-be-raising-prices-here-are-my- 3-favorite-alternatives --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .