Confused by subscription models for streaming sites

[Taz777]

I've got a pretty fundamental question regarding streaming sites like TIDAL - what do I get for my monthly subscription? Do I need to pay for the tracks/albums that I listen to on top of the monthly subscription too? It's not very clear on the TIDAL site!

[rando]

Personally, I would sign up for the Tidal 30 day trial and chose the higher resolution option.  That means everything is free for 30 days.  You should be able to do the same for any of the streaming services. 

 

Qobuz discussions here are probably where you got the more complex pricing scheme implanted in your head.  The higher end subscriptions are geared around using streaming in at least part to inform purchases.  Which are discounted enough to refund the amount spent up front.  

[Musicophile]

All streaming sites I’m aware of and have tried, from Qobuz, Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify, have a flat rate concept.  You buy a monthly fee and you can stream the entire catalog as much as you want up to 24/7. The only exception are some labels who refuse the streaming model like Hyperion. 

 

The pricing difference typically reflects the quality of the streaming content, from MP3 to 24/192. 

[Ralf11]

Ditto.  I suspect you also want to be sure the catalog is reasonably broad.  I don't stream (except for Youtube) due ot lack of material I want.  

 

Also, China's Tencent is coming to the US - don't know their model.

[Taz777]

Thanks for the clarifications. I was browsing the Tidal catalogue and saw prices for albums. I thought that I would have to buy those albums if I wanted to listen to them, on top of the monthly subscription. But it appears that I’m effectively renting the ability to listen to any song within Tidals’s catalgoue during an active subscription.

 

After lots of Googling I’ve found that Tidal has an offline mode where music can be downloaded to a device and listened to without and internet connection. It appears that this mode is part of the subscription and you can use this mode whilst your subscription is active. However, you can also purchase music and download those purchased music files and listen to them independently of your subscription, as you own those files.

 

The ability to integrate high quality music players and use offline mode on up to three devices in addition to online mode on one device is appealing. Once things are a little clearer I will go for the free trial.

[Hugo9000]

6 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

Ditto.  I suspect you also want to be sure the catalog is reasonably broad.  I don't stream (except for Youtube) due ot lack of material I want.  

 

Also, China's Tencent is coming to the US - don't know their model.

Interesting about Tencent!  I just googled it, and apparently they are actually profitable, and have 800 million users on their platforms!