8 Online Music Streaming Options In India You Should Know More About

Online music streaming services/ apps are the way to listen to music currently, giving a great deal of flexibility and choice to the user.

Remember the days when you had to download pirated copies of the songs you wanted from dodgy websites or beg your friends to transfer songs to your pendrive?

Why online music streaming?

The experience of finding and listening to music has come a long way since then.

We have an extensive list of various online music streaming services available in India to cater to your needs:

Spotify

Let’s start off with the most popular international streaming service that has gained immense popularity ever since its launch in India in February 2019. This is the best app for discovering new music and lesser known artists.

Pros

• Extensive music library especially for Indie music lovers in both Hindi and English language.
• The recommendations are always spot on
• Follow playlists by your friends/ influencers/ other music lover that suits your mood and even make collaborative playlists with your friend groups.
• Great library of national and international podcasts on varied topics
• Has one day premium service with INR 13 per day, special discounts for students INR 59 per month, free 3 month trial period and family packs with 6 accounts.
• Great online music streaming across various platforms.
• Best aesthetics and user experience

Cons

• Free version has pesky ads and shuffle play
• No download option on free version
• Even though the library is vast, not the best if you want to stream popular regional language music.
• Premium price higher than others.

Wynk

Before Spotify entered the Indian market, this online music streaming platform was the top choice for music lovers. Wynk has been having #WynkConcert with popular artists during the lockdown and has a great selection of popular music. If you have an airtel number this should be your number one pick.

Pros

• Great selection of Bhajans and devotional songs
• Songs in 13 other regional languages other than Hindi and English.
• Free hellotunes for airtel number for all 40 million songs in its library.
• Lowest premium price and free download for airtel users.
• Good number of Podcasts specially regional and national ones.
• Music can be played in different devices simultaneously through a single account.

Cons

• Higher Premium price for non-airtel users
• No download option for free version for non-airtel users
• Pesky adds in free version
• Streaming only on smartphone and web

JioSaavn

This online music streaming platform is a collaboration between Jio and Saavn, available in both Android and iOS platforms. It has a three month trial period for Jio customers.

Pros

• Massive selection of music especially for regional and Hindi songs
• Good compatibility for various platforms
• Decent pricing
• Both free and premium version available
• Music can be played in different devices simultaneously through a single account

Cons

• No special offers for Jio user or students apart from free trial
• Free version has ads and no offline downloads
• The app is not as smooth as others on the list
• Not good with recommendations

Gaana

Gaana is one of the first online music streaming services in India. I might be a little biased against this one because of its extremely off-putting ad song “Bas bajna chaiye gaana”, but it is a pretty close competitor of JioSaavn.

Pros

• Most preferred music streaming service in India
• Music library has songs in 21 languages
• Both Premium and Free version
• Decent pricing (similar to JioSaavn)
• Good interface and home grown application, the only fully Indian online music streaming service on the list.
• Students discount (cheapest amongst others)
• Music can be played in different devices simultaneously through a single account

Cons

• Free version has ads and no offline download
• No Podcasts available

Amazon Prime Music

When it was introduced in India in 2016, it had many glitches and the user experience was definitely not great. However in recent years, Prime Music has improved a lot, and is now a worthy competitor. It comes free with an Amazon Prime subscription.

Pros

• The most effective online music streaming service if you are subscribed to Amazon Prime
• No separate payment for Prime members, and lets you download music for offline use.
• Has decent selection of music and no ads
• Compatible with Alexa and other Amazon devices

Cons

• No free version for non-Prime Members.
• Higher Premium price at INR 129 per month than others on the list.
• Premium version is not as good as others on the list
• No Podcasts available

Apple Music

Apple Music has also improved its features drastically in recent years. It is available for both Android and iOS devices, but is most convenient for Apple users.

Pros

• Best for Apple users as it syncs with other Apple devices like Apple watch, iPods, Siri and iTunes
• Has special student discounts for subscriptions
• Great music library and live radio

Cons

• Music cannot be played on multiple devices simultaneously
• Requires subscription, so no free version
• No podcasts

YouTube Music

YouTube Music is gaining momentum very quickly in India as an online music streaming platform. It has merged with Google Music, and is the biggest threat to other music streaming services in India.

Pros

• Simple interface, easy to navigate.
• Both Premium and Free version available
• Extensive music collection for all genres and languages.
• Backed by Youtube and Google, it has the largest potential for future developments.
• Second best recommendations after Spotify which might become the best in future because of Google’s freaky algorithm.
• In the premium version you can watch video as well as audio.
• Music can be played on different devices simultaneously through a single account

Cons

• The free version has ads and no free download
• Comparatively new to the market, so might have some glitches
• The free version doesn’t allow music to be played in the background.

Resso

This is a newest online music streaming service in India, owned by Tik-Tok’s parent company Byte Dance. Both free and subscription plans are available at competitive prices and has a very unique and interesting interface. It is gaining popularity quickly but as of now it has a limited music library that caters to mostly Hindi and regional songs, as its focus country is only India and Indonesia.

Pros

• Unique features like direct lyrics sharing on Instagram stories
• A short video accompanies each song called Vibe, that plays in the background.
• Lyrics section ensures accessibility to lyrics of each song
• Each song has its own comment section
• Both free and Premium version available
• Aesthetically pleasing application targeted towards GenZ.

Cons

• Brand new in the market and some user grievances are expected
• Limited music library
• More focussed towards avid social media users
• Premium pricing is higher for iOS users than Android users.
• Not much is known about the availability of podcasts or radio as of now.

So, which is your favourite online music streaming service? We’d like to know.

Image source: shutterstock

Asefa Hafeez

Asefa writes about the lives of women in smaller towns of India. Her interest include

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