Cars, stores, television, phones, video games, parties, concerts, and restaurants. Most people are surrounded by music in several aspects of their lives without realizing it. Music plays a large part in the daily routine of the modern world, and everyone has heard it whether it is classic, rock, hip-hop, pop, or just a simple beat. According to an article by Metija Ferjan on headphonesaddict.com, “An average person hears roughly 1.3 million songs in their lifetime.” Many of these songs or even the majority are not being listened to on purpose, but just in passing.

Music can be listened to from any mobile device using a streaming program. Most programs are free with ads, but people usually purchase the exclusive version so they can listen freely without being interrupted. The top five mainstreaming programs used on mobile devices include Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, and Tidal. Spotify and Apple Music are most popular with teenagers and young adults. People debate which of the two is better, but there is no set fact because each app has its pros and cons.

Pandora, YouTube Music, and Tidal differ from Apple Music and Spotify which makes them less popular, but still often used. Pandora’s most obvious characteristic is that it allows users to create stations instead of playlists. Many people do not like this because if they want to listen to a specific song they have to skip through a station until it is found. With YouTube Music, making playlists is not common, but you can explore the same variety of music as you can with any other streaming app. Tidal on the other hand requires payment to be made upfront. There is no free version, making it less used among music lovers. 

Apple Music and Spotify are very popular because of their convenient accessibility, and organized, updated platforms. One advantage Apple Music has over Spotify, according to an article by Mike Adronico of CNN,  is that “lossless and high-resolution audio. Lossless audio essentially avoids a lot of the data loss that happens when songs are compressed from their original source, giving you CD-quality sound from a digital file.” This is good to have for users, but Spotify has plenty of useful features as well. According to the same article, “Spotify’s homepage shows me my six most recent albums/playlists while still leaving room for recommendations and new releases, Apple Music features a lot of wasted space.”  

All of these music streaming apps are very similar overall, but Apple Music and Spotify are usually debated the best. Everyone has their own opinion on which is better. When Hubbard High School junior Christina Badurik was asked her opinion on the controversy she said, “I prefer using apple music because I like how easy it is to connect with my friends and see what they’re listening to.” This is true, but when Hubbard High School sophomore Ava Flowers was asked which she preferred she said, “I prefer Spotify because it helps me discover new music and I like the design over other streaming platforms like Apple Music.” No matter what streaming program one uses, a wide variety of music is provided, and it can be listened to on demand.

• https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/apple-music-vs-spotify
• https://www.consumerreports.org/best-music-streaming-service-for-you-a2126039193/#:~:text=Pros%3A%20Tidal%20offers%20CD%2Dquality,the%20Amazon%20and%20Apple%20services