Jul 16,2019 • Filed to: Streaming Music Services & Sites Tips • Proven solutions
- Spotify Play Music
- Spotify Music Download Free
- Free Music Player Like Spotify Playlists
- Music Player That Streams Spotify
Want a Spotify alternative to stream music on your computer or mobile devices? As we know, Spotify is the most popular music streaming service. However, not everyone think Spotify is the best and some might consider that the monthly fee for Spotify music is expensive. So is there any other streaming music program similar to Spotify available? Of course. Read on and find the top 7 best Spotify alternatives below.
The big difference between Spotify and Amazon Music Unlimited is Amazon offers a tier of service for use on one Echo device for $3.99 per month; just ask your Alexa device to start a free trial. List of 15 Best Free Music Player Apps For Windows 10. These music player apps for Windows will provide you with better music management tools like equalizer, multiple themes, etc. So, let’s explore the list of best music player apps for Windows 10.
Part 1. Download Music from Spotify and Other Streaming Music Programs
If you want to enjoy your favorite music from Spotify or other streaming music sites anytime without Internet connection, you can download or record the music with the help of iMusic. You can use this Spotify alternative to download music from Spotify, Dailymotion, Vimeo, YouTube and other over 3000 music sites by copying and pasting the URL of the songs. As for some music you can't download, for example, music played in radio stations, you can use the Record feature to save the songs on your computer. Besides, iMusic offers you a music library, letting you search and download music for free.
iMusic - Alternatives to Spotify to Download Music from Over 3000 Music Sites
- Download music from more than 300 music sites by copying and pasting the URL.
- Record unlimited music from any website for playback in your computer with just one click.
- Built-in music library let you browse and preview the lattest and hottest music.
- Automatically save downloaded/recorded music to library for management and easy transfer.
- Identify and tag music with artist, title, album, genre, and more with the latest technology.
- Transfer music/playlist between iPhone/iPad/iPod/Android to iTunes/Windows/Mac easily.
- 1 click to transfer downloaded music and playlist to USB drive to enjoy in car.
How to Use iMusic-Best Alternative to Spotify to Get Music from Spotify
To use iMusic Spotify alternative to get music from Spotify, here are two methods by iMusic, one is to record music from Spotify, another is directly download the music from Spotify by Pasting music's URL. Here we will show this two methods one by one.
Method 1. Use iMusic-Best Spotify Alternative to Download Music from Spotify
Step 1. Download and install iMusic at: https://www.aimersoft.com/imusic.html
Download and install iMusic on your computer. You can immediately install it after it has been downloaded. Click the 'download' under the 'Get Music' option.
Note: Note that the program is running two versions, so make sure you select the appropriate choice for your computer(Windows & Mac). Both are similar, so we will demonstrate a sample using the version that is specifically for Windows.
Step 2. Download Spotify music Directly
Open the Spotify software or Spotify website, copy the playlist link or song link which you want to download.
Step 3. Paste the URL
Paste the link to the iMusic downloaded window: Get Music > Download , and then press the 'Download' button.
Step 4. Download Music from Spotify
Press the Download button after you select the format.
Method 2. Use iMusic-Best Spotify Alternative to Record Music from Spotify
Step 1. Open iMusic
As a first step, open the iMusic software present on your PC by double clicking its icon.
Step 2. Select Record
Select the option of 'Record' which on the top of the interface as below screenshot.
Step 3. Play music on Spotify
Now you need to play or stream the music on Spotify which you wish to record. In order to record from Spotify, open your Spotify account and then play the desired track.
Step 4. Click the record icon
As the music is played on Spotify, click on the button on the bottom of the interface as the below screenshot and the track will automatically get recorded.
Step 5. Find the recorded songs in the 'iTunes Library'
As you complete the recording of the songs, you can find the songs in the 'iTunes Library'.
Why Choose iMusic Spotify Downloader
Download Unlimited Free Music
Download music from Spotify, BBC Radio, Pandora, Grooveshark, Deezer, Napster, and 3000+ more.
Filter Ads and Split Tracks
Detect Ads and audtomatically filter Ads when recording. Split tracks to separate music files.
Identify Music and Get Info
Identify recorded music and automatically get music information like Title, Artist, Album and Genre.
Easy to Share Music
The downloaded music can be transferred to iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android devices, and burn to CDs.
Deezer
Deezer is a music streaming website that gives you access to millions of songs and is available on a variety of platforms and devices. Like many music streaming programs, Deezer has paid and free membership levels. Deezer actually has two paid membership levels, $4.99 and $6.99 a month, respectively. The $4.99 version is ad-free and comes with a limited mobile app, while the $6.99 version has full mobile abilities. The paid version of Deezer advertise an increased sound quality of up to 320 kbps. Deezer is one of the few music streaming programs available in Canada and in fact, it is in available in more than 100 countries worldwide and it is very similar to spotify.
Pros: Three levels of membership option. Available in 100+ countries. Good sound quality. Available on a variety of platforms.
Cons: Interface can be hard to navigate. Music library can feel limited. Have to pay extra to be able to use on mobile devices.
Google Play All Access
Google Play All Access is Google's entry into the streaming market. This is available through your mobile device or through the browser on your computer. Google Play has a music of almost 20 million library and boasts high sound quality. Unlike many of the other streaming options, Google Play does not have a free option. To access Google Play you have to pay $9.99 a month. Google Play allows you to search for songs and build customized playlists and there is also a feature to build playlists based on your listening history. Some listeners find the interface can be a bit confusing at times.
Pros: Large music catalogue. Good sound quality. Easy customization. One of the good Spotify alternative free.
Cons: No desktop version. No free version.
Grooveshark
Grooveshark is a music streaming site that uses user-uploaded content, instead of making deals with record companies to access their content. You can find millions of songs on Grooveshark, all uploaded by users. There are two options, a free option with ads and a $5 month subscription fee that gives you ad-free music, the ability to take your account anywhere in the world, and other features. Grooveshark is facing lawsuits from several record companies because of rights infringement, so if legal access of music is important to you, then Grooveshark is not the service for you. Apple and Android have removed the Grooveshark App from their store, though it is still available on devices like Blackberry. Grooveshark's sound quality also varies wildly, due to the nature of the content.
Pros: Good Spotify alternative.Extremely extensive catalogue of songs. Very user-friendly. Blackberry supported.
Cons: Violates music copyright. Inferior sound quality. No app support for iPhone or Android.
Last.fm
Last.fm is a streaming radio station. It allows you to play music online and provide services like spotify, but you can't create custom playlists. Instead you can enter likes and dislikes, choosing artists you want to listen to and ones you want to avoid and it builds you a set list based on your preferences. For straight music listening, Last.fm has good sound quality and a good selection of music, though many may find the lack of customization frustrating. Like many radio stations, Last.fm features commercials, you can pay $3 a month to get an ad-free version.
Pros: Good sound quality. Good music catalogue.
Cons: Limited features. Limited customization.
Pandora Radio
Pandora is an online streaming radio site. It consists of themed stations, but does give you the option to create your own playlists. You can skip certain songs, but you are limited to a certain amount of skips per hour. Pandora's created playlists do become more personalized in time, as your listening history becomes more apparent. Pandora has a music library of around 1 million songs. You can access Pandora with ads for free or you can pay $4 a month for ad-free service. With Pandora you can listen via mobile app and it is available on a large selection of devices or through the web browser on your computer, there is no desktop version.
Pros: It is an almost free spotify alterntive with low cost. Available on most mobile systems.
Cons: No customization. Small music catalogue.
Rdio
Rdio allows both personalized streaming, but also has themed radio stations for your listening pleasure. It has an incredibly easy to use interface and a large catalogue of songs, however the sound quality suffers at times. Rdio does not release their sound rate, unlike services like Spotify. Unlike a lot of streaming services, Rdio offers a free service, but limits the amount you can stream. There are two price levels for Rdio, $4.99 a month gets you unlimited, ad-free content from your web browser. While $9.99 a month gives you mobile access as well an offline access mode.
Pros: Interface is easy to use with service like Spotify. Good variety of songs. Mix of playlists and radio mode.
Cons: Sound quality. Streaming limit with the free option.
Stereomood
Stereomood works a little differently than other streaming music sites. Stereomood suggests music for you based on your mood. So you say 'I feel sad', then you'll get a playlist of designated sad songs. Stereomood isn't as good for customization as some of the other streaming sites, as it is all pre-set playlists, but you can tag songs that you think fits certain moods. The program keeps track of the moods that you enter and every week, you can look at your mood tally. Stereomood's iOS app is also linked to iTunes and gives you an option to buy the songs that you like on iTunes. Stereomood is free to listen to and has no ads.
Pros: Spotify alternative free. Fun mood options.
Cons: No customization. Limited song catalogue.
Choose the Spotify Alternative that is Best for You
Choose the Right Streaming Music Site to Enjoy Music | Deezer | Google Play All Access | Grooveshark | Last.fm | Pandora Radio | Rdio | Stereomood |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | Free, $4.99 per month or $6.99 per month | $9.99 per month | Free or $5 per month | Free or $3 per month for ad-free and mobile | Free or $4 per month for ad-free | Free, $4.99 per month, or $9.99 per month | Free |
Sound Quality | Up to 320 kbps | Up to 320 kbps | Depends on the song | Up to 128 kbps | Up to 192 kbps | Unknown | Up to 320 kbps |
Customization | Yes, but the interface can be tricky. | Yes. | Yes. Music is all uploaded by users. | No | No | Yes | No, pre-set playlists. |
Music Library | 30 million songs | 18 million songs | Over 30 million songs | 12 million songs | 1 million songs | 1 million songs | Less than 500,000 |
Platform Availability | Web; Desktop: Mac, Windows; Mobile (premium only): iOS, Android, Blackberry | Web; Mobile: Android, iOS | Web; Mobile: Blackberry | Web; Mobile (paid): iOS, Android, Windows Mobile | Web; Mobile: iOS, Android; Kindle and Nook; Roku; | Web; Desktop: Mac, Windows; Mobile (premium only): Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows Mobile | Web; Mobile: iOS, Android |
For more comparison info about Spotify and other popular Spotify alernatives, click the corresponding link below >>>
Everyone likes music. The tempo of life is getting faster and faster. Often there's no time to go through an entire list of music tracks and purchase the ones you like. Fortunately, audio streaming applications have changed the way we listen to music.
With modern technologies, we get effortless user experience and receive music in a matter of clicks. Mobile devices and a stellar speed Internet connection only compliment this trend.
If you want to learn more about music streaming apps or create a music app, this article is right for you. Below, we share the music streaming market statistics, song streaming app monetization strategies, and how to make a music app like Spotify.
Read on!
5 Steps to create an app like Spotify
Step 1. Consider the main Spotify-like app features
A music streaming app includes such features as registration and signing up, music organizing, music discovery, social sharing, push notifications, and music library.
Step 2. Choose licensing type
As for Spotify, the platform has two types of licenses including Sound Recording License Agreement and Musical Composition License Agreement.
Step 3. Find music app developers
Choose a team that will build an app like Spotify for you. There are a lot of factors for you to consider. You also should check the portfolio of your music application development company.
Step 4. Develop an audio streaming app UI/UX design
Now, you and your development team should agree on how the future app will look. For that, you need to create an app Wireframe, Mockup, and Prototype.
Step 5. Create audio streaming app MVP
At this stage, you will decide on your MVP (minimum viable product), and all the other details with your development team and you are ready to go.
Why consider music streaming
If we're talking about music services - there are typical online radio stations and music streaming services, like Spotify. That's how people enjoy quality, easy-accessible sound spots.
What's more, people globally shift to their mobile devices to do pretty much anything. Phone calls only use a fraction of the time people spend on their cell phones.
But there is more!
- The global music streaming market is growing steadily — the global subscriber base is expected to reach 2.81 billion by the end of 2025.
[Image source: Goodwater]
- Music Streaming Application Market is expected to reach $17.50 Billion by 2025
- Statista said 14% of the population use paid music streaming services several times a day.
[Image source: RIAA]
- There are 186.7 million digital music users in the U.S.
- Spotify has over 200 million active users, more than 109 million paid subscribers, and about 40% of the global music streaming market
Did I mention that 72% of Spotify users are millennials, who, it seems, were born with mobiles in their hands?
Driven by advantageous technologies, the music streaming industry continues to grow. Therefore, the development of your live audio streaming app might be a great idea.
Current Leaders of the Sound Streaming Market
There are three leaders in the sound streaming market, including
- Spotify with 36% market share
- Apple Music with 19%
- Amazon Music counting 12% market share
Now, let us take a closer look at each of them.
[Image source: MIDA]
Spotify
Being a pioneer in the music-streaming market, Spotify is the best-known music app. The app has 109 million premium subscribers and 232 million monthly active users.
App users receive access to different music services. They include Discover Weekly playlists and experimental ones, like the Australia-only station.
Spotify has Facebook integration, which allows users to share with their Facebook friends. Besides, this feature enables Spotify users to share their music easier than competitors.
[Example of Spotify interface]
Apple Music
Apple Music is the second most popular music streaming app. It provides users with plenty of features and a discount for families and students. In June 2019, Apple Music had over 60 million paid subscribers, and 50 million songs in the library. All Apple devices, including Apple HomePod, are compatible with this app. Still, unlike Spotify, the app does not have robust sharing options.
[Example of Apple Music interface]
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music is an advanced version of Amazon Prime Music, provided to Prime subscribers for free. For an extra payment, users receive access to an expanded catalog. Amazon Music recommends playlists grouped around artists the user already listened to. Also, the app shows the song lyrics on the 'now playing' screen.
[Example of Amazon Music interface]
To conclude, Spotify is not alone in this online music thing. Other significant players are Apple Music and Amazon Music.
All music streaming services have a lot of benefits, including:
- Quick access to music
- Affordability
- Unlimited storage
- Social engagement
As you can see, all these services appear to be outstanding because of these common features- they are effortless, intuitive, and easy to use.
The Killer Idea Behind Spotify
To give you a clear idea of how to start a music streaming service, let's discover the inner logic behind Spotify.
- Spotify stores music on various servers
- To stream a random track on your mobile, Spotify finds it on one of the millions of servers and sends it to your device
- Servers, in this case, are computers and all other gadgets of Spotify's subscribers
This concept is more effective than hitting servers with requests to download the track. At the same time, you become an essential link for the global social music sharing network, which is engaging too. And, it enables users to listen to all this music legally by paying royalties to authors.
Now, let's learn how to build a music streaming app and make it profitable.
How to Make Money with a Spotify-Like App
Music streaming services, like Spotify, have two main ways of earning; premium account and running ads. Let's check how Spotify applies these strategies.
[Image source: Statista]
Premium Services
The premium Spotify account provides users with free access to unlimited music across other devices. Besides, the app allows temporary downloading of songs for offline access and plays the highest quality music. There are several types of paid plans, including:
- Student plan cost $4.99 per month
- Regular account - $9.99 per month
- Family account - $14.99 a month
Ad-supported Services
App users with a free account can listen to a limited among of songs on demand, which may be interrupted by an advertisement. By using this business model, Spotify charges advertisers a cost-per-click and cost per mile fee.
According to their site, Spotify spends a significant chunk of money to pay royalty rewards to artists.
[Image source: Statista]
Read also: How Do Apps Make Money?
Spotify Play Music
This concludes how to earn with your Spotify clone. You have to become a part of 'back to paid music' preachers, deal with authors and provide your users with a good deal of music value for their membership.
Critical Features to Include in a Spotify-Like App
If you are looking for ideas on how to make an app like Spotify, consider the following app features:
Registration / signing up
First, a user should be authorized to use your system. Users can register in Spotify via email or social media like Facebook.
Make sure you take this step very effortless for users. Connect it to social media and you get new subscribers in a matter of taps.
Music organizing
The app should provide features of grouping one's music, etc.
So, users can create playlists for different purposes, like current activities and genres.
Music Discovery
To motivate users to engage with your app more often, you need to provide them with personalized content. And here is where Spotify has a great competitive advantage over other services.
Spotify uses an AI-based recommendation algorithm that selects songs for the Discover Weekly section. Spotify developers created their own powerful discovery engine.
Let us check how it works.
For Weekly Discovery recommendation, Spotify uses three types of recommendation models, including:
- User crossovers with the listening history of other users
- Natural language processing. In Spotify, this technology works on the Echo Nest API. It learns about the music genres by analyzing the text and looking at similar terms associated with the artist across the Internet. Kafka manages the data in real-time.
- Deep learning to analyzes the raw tracks. For this, Spotify applies' convolution neural network.' This deep neural network learns from experience using only raw data input.
All things social
This feature allows users to share songs with friends and highlight favorite tracks on a social feed. It's also going to serve your app with a good deal of word-of-mouth advertising at the same time.
Read also: How To Develop a Social Media App?
Push notifications
Push notification is a deciding feature for such a social community based on follow-ups and spreading content. People want news from their favorite sources; that's how it works now - users wish to have valuable personalized benefits from your service.
Music Library
Unfortunately, this feature is absent in Spotify. Because of this, users can not host or upload their tracks and create a music library. The only option is to create personal playlists and subscribe to music channels created by other users.
Spotify Music Download Free
At the same time, this feature is available in Apple Music. It allows users to add and synchronize songs on their devices and in-app playlists. Users can store a certain amount of songs on their app for free or upgrade to a premium plan.
To give you a clue of how to make a music app, and even better app than Spotify, consider this function as well.
Now, let's find out, how to build a music app.
Where to Start: Your Guide to Making a Music App like Spotify
Now, let's dig deeper into the process of music streaming app development. Below, we share a step-by-step guide on how to make a music streaming app, together with cost estimations.
Check this out.
Ideas are everything
For music app development, you need to specify the whole concept of the app. In order to do this, find a similar application, and of course, think of something that makes your app special.
Licensing
When developing a music streaming service, you need to get a license to provide your subscribers with legal audio content.
As for Spotify, the platform has two types of licenses for music distribution, such as:
- Sound Recording License Agreement, covering recording rights. Spotify uses licenses received from the big three record labels - Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment Group, and Warner Music Group.
- Musical Composition License Agreement. This covers the rightful owners of the songs, managed through two main firms in the U.S.-BMI and ASCAP.
When looking for an answer on how to make your own music app, do not forget to get such a license.
Find music app developers
Now it's time to come to the actual work and choose a team that will build an app like Spotify for you. There are a lot of factors for you to consider. To estimate how much it costs to develop a music app like Spotify, check developer rates among regions:
- USA/Canada-based dev teams - $50 to $250/hour
- Western Europe - $30 to$170/hour
- Eastern Europe - $25 to $150/hour
- Australia - $50 to $150/hour
- India - $10 to $80/hour
You also should check the portfolio of your music application development company. From the beginning, communicate with your team to make sure you're on the same track. At the APP Solutions, we usually hold meetings with our clients on a regular basis via Skype.
See also: How to Outsource App Development?
Plan & Estimate
This market has significant potential, but that's not enough to run and spend all you have for a killer application. You need to run a study and learn about your target audiences' preferences. Then, communicate your business idea to your development team. The team will come up with some technological solutions, cost estimation, and project requirements.
Develop an audio streaming app
UI/UX design
Now, you and your development team should agree on how the future app will look. Here, you can offer the design team some ideas, if you have them.
The necessary process of the music app design creating includes the following stages.
- Wireframe. The team will create a black and white app that shows the general concept of the app.
- Mockup. The team develops colorful but static screens of the future app. Mockups include icon design, button shapes, spaces, etc.
- Prototype. The team creates an interactive model of the app that shows how the app acts. As a rule, prototypes give you an option to tap, swap, drag, and see the result.
Choose tech stack
To develop your Spotify-like app, consider Spotify developer tools, like Python and JavaScript. Besides, Spotify uses PHP for the server-side and Java for back-end structure. As we said, Spotify stores all the music files on the device cache. For this, use Cassandra, PostgreSQL, as well as a general memory caching system.
When looking for a clue on how to create a music streaming service, take into account that Spotify uses the following technologies:
- Kafka software for real-time data management and processing
- GraphWalker for model-based tests and Python integration
- Amazon S3 for cloud-based music streaming
- Dataproc for platform infrastructure
- Chromium embedded framework for building UI for desktop application
- Bootstrap for web app development
- Nginx as open-source HTTP and proxy server
- C++ for Windows/Mac clients
- Java for Android music streaming app
- Objective-C for iOS music streaming app
How to make a music streaming website?
You can empower your app with Spotify players by integrating Spotify player SDK. This library contains classes to stream management and audio playback. It takes on all the negotiation with Spotify's back-end, digital rights management, and decoding.
[Spotnews screens]
We did such integration for our recent project, SpotNews. SpotNews is an audio streaming platform that provides personalized music content. The idea behind the app is to allow users to listen to their favorite songs while reading the news sections.
We also used:
- Spotify SDK for authorization via the Spotify user profile
- Java Android SDK, Retrofit, Fresco, Crashlytics, and Realm to provide smooth app performance
- PHP, Silex, MySQL, Composer HTML5, CSS3, Twitter BootStrap, Jquery, Bower, Less, Nginx to moderate the news feeds via the Admin Panel
You might also like: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DEVELOP A CHAT APP LIKE SNAPCHAT IN 2019
Create audio streaming app MVP
At this stage, you will decide on your MVP (minimum viable product), and all the other details with your development team and you are ready to go.
When looking for ideas on how to create a music app, consider the following features for your music streaming app MVP:
Feature | Integrations | Estimation in hours |
Registration / signing up |
| From 32 hours |
Profile user |
| From 36 hours |
Social Share | From 15 hours | |
Personalization | Pick-up algorithm that will choose the next music track for each individual user. Use ML to find appropriate songs for users | From 100 hours |
Music player |
| 70 |
Track search |
| From 32 hours |
Playlist manager |
| From 60 hours |
Total | From 345 hours |
The average development cost of a music streaming app like Spotify is about $40-50K per platform.
For a more detailed estimation, you can use our project cost calculator. Now you know how to create a music app like Spotify.
You might also like: HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO MAKE AN APP?
Take it to the test
After the application is ready, the team does in-depth testing to ensure the app runs smoothly. We usually implement it right after the app is prepared and approved. Plus, three months after release our developers can fix any issues occurred for free.
Wrapping up
The music streaming app market is growing, and its revenue is expected to reach $17.50 Billion by 2025.
Spotify is the leader among music streaming apps. It uses a raft of modern technologies to provide users with relevant music content.
Free Music Player Like Spotify Playlists
While music streaming is a hot trend, you have a chance to get your share of the music streaming market, as Spotify did.
But, to achieve success with your app, and be ahead of competitors, you need to get started asap.
The last thing that remains is to find a development team. And we are here to help.