My music streaming dilemma

Anyone who has read my most recent Spotify review will know that I had only taken up the free trial of Spotify to try out the new Spotify AI DJ.

I didn’t think I would consider cancelling my Tidal subscription to return to Spotify. You might be asking why I’m now facing a dilemma over streaming services.

The two main criteria for me are music discovery and music quality, and both requirements are roughly level pegging, and in third place is cost.

So on one corner, I have Tidal, which on the highest tier delivers fantastic music at a minimum of HiFi standard, and on the other corner, the world’s largest streaming service with the best recommendation service, which appears even better than I could remember it, but still using non-HiFi quality music streams.

For me, this discussion shows that choosing the right music streaming for you depends on what you are looking for.

What Spotify does better than Tidal

Spotify aims to become the number one audio streaming platform offering music, podcasts, and audiobooks. But the main reason for switching my music streaming service is music, with audiobooks being a bonus at best.

As I mentioned in the introduction to this blog post, Spotify is the best streaming service for music discovery, as I did in 2022 when I wrote a blog post comparing the various music streaming services. What surprised me on my return to Spotify is how much it has improved in the last 18 months.

It isn’t just the algorithms but the number of ways these recommendations are delivered. You have the traditional avenues of release radar, your weekly discovery, and the playlists created by Spotify staff. Add to this the AI DJ and a Daylist playlist that updates during the day, offering a selection of music based on the music you listen to at that time of day.

What Tidal does better than Spotify

Tidal strength is its music quality, especially at its highest price point. It sounds really good with the streaming service now supporting MQA and FLAC audio streams, and with a decent setup, you will notice the difference. I wrote more on this back in 2021 in my blog post. Can you really tell the difference?

Even a stream with CD quality sounds better than the highest-quality stream on Spotify. Music on Spotify can sound duller and less detailed. For me, at least, that will sometimes reduce the pleasure when I’m really listening to the music I’m playing.

Price

Spotify Premium works out cheaper than the bells and whistles tier at Tidal, which I would recommend if you go with Tribal. I have linked to the Spotify and Tidal price pages to get the latest prices.

What I have decided to do

If Spotify had HiFi quality or above streaming option at a competitive price, it would be the best music streaming service. If rumours are to be believed, it is finally coming. After all, we have only been waiting two years. So I’m hoping these rumours are not swaying my choice.

For now, I’m enjoying the discovery features of Spotify more than the sound quality of Tidal, and I will cancel my Tidal subscription. I will stick with Spotify for at least a few months.