Where can Android users buy music?
Android devices give users access to a variety of options for purchasing and downloading music. While music can be acquired through illegal means, there are many authorized stores that allow you to buy music legally for use on your Android device. This article will introduce the major Android music stores, including Google Play Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp. We’ll highlight the key features of each one so Android users can choose the music store that best fits their needs.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is Google’s music and podcast streaming service and online music locker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Play_Music). It offers over 40 million songs for streaming or download, as well as podcasts, radio stations, and more. Google Play Music comes preinstalled on most Android devices.
Google Play Music has a free tier that allows users to upload up to 50,000 of their own songs to the cloud for free. There are also various paid subscription options: Google Play Music individual plan ($9.99/month) gives access to on-demand streaming of Google’s full music catalog ad-free, offline listening, and YouTube Music Premium. The family plan ($14.99/month) allows up to 6 users to access subscriptions.
The key benefits of Google Play Music for Android users are:
- Seamless integration with Android devices – easy to upload your music library and download playlists for offline listening
- Ad-free listening and ability to download songs, albums, playlists for offline listening
- Access to vast catalog of 40+ million songs
- Ability to listen to YouTube Music ad-free and in the background
Overall, Google Play Music offers a robust music solution for Android users with its seamless integration, large catalog, and extra features like ad-free YouTube Music.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service, offering a library of over 100 million songs to customers [1]. On Android devices, users can download the Amazon Music app from the Google Play Store to access the service [2].
The service is available in several tiers: Amazon Music Free provides free streaming supported by ads, while Amazon Music Prime provides ad-free streaming to Amazon Prime members at no extra cost [3]. Amazon Music Unlimited provides access to the full catalog on-demand for a monthly subscription fee.
For Android users, Amazon Music provides access to an extensive music catalog, curated playlists,radio stations, and new releases. Key benefits include unlimited skips, offline listening, hands-free listening with Alexa, high quality audio, and family sharing options. Overall, Amazon Music is a convenient option for Android users to stream music seamlessly across their mobile devices.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube. It allows users to stream both official songs and remixes/covers uploaded to YouTube. YouTube Music launched in 2015 and is now available in over 60 countries.
The service has over 60 million official songs in its catalog from record labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. This is comparable to other top streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music (Explore YouTube Music Premium benefits).
In addition to the official catalog, YouTube Music provides access to thousands of remixes, covers, and music videos that users have uploaded to YouTube. This makes the overall collection massive.
YouTube Music is free with ads on mobile and desktop. Android users can upgrade to YouTube Music Premium for $9.99/month. This removes ads, allows background/offline playback, and enables downloads. Premium also includes YouTube Premium, so it removes ads from all YouTube videos.
Some key benefits of YouTube Music Premium for Android users include (Is YouTube Music Worth the Money? The Pros and Cons):
- Download songs for offline listening
- Listen to music with the screen off
- Ad-free music listening
- High quality audio
YouTube Music comes preinstalled on many Android phones like Samsung. So Android users can easily access the massive music catalog and personalized recommendations that YouTube Music provides.
Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services available for Android users. It offers access to over 82 million songs and 3.6 million podcasts (source). Spotify is available as a free, ad-supported version or as a paid Spotify Premium subscription without ads. The free version has limited functionality, like not being able to download songs for offline listening. Spotify Premium offers additional features like unlimited skipping, high quality audio, and the ability to download music.
For Android users, Spotify offers an easy way to listen to music on mobile. The Android app makes it simple to browse music, create playlists, get recommendations, and more. With a Spotify Premium subscription, Android users can download playlists, albums, and podcasts to listen offline when they don’t have an internet connection. Premium also unlocks unlimited skips and ad-free listening for uninterrupted music. Overall, Spotify provides a robust catalog of music and podcasts for Android users to enjoy either through a free, ad-supported tier or by paying for a Premium subscription.
Pandora
Pandora (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pandora.android&hl=en_US&gl=US) is an internet radio and music streaming service available for Android and iOS devices. Pandora creates customized radio stations based on a user’s tastes and likes. It offers ad-supported free streaming as well as premium paid subscriptions.
Pandora has a catalog of over 5 million tracks and over 250,000 comedy tracks. It uses the Music Genome Project to analyze songs based on hundreds of characteristics to generate personalized stations for users.
On Android, Pandora offers a free ad-supported tier as well as paid subscription plans like Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium. Pandora Plus is $4.99/month and removes ads, allows unlimited skips and replays. Pandora Premium adds on-demand listening, downloads, and more features for $9.99/month.
Key benefits of Pandora for Android users include:
- Personalized radio stations based on your tastes
- Huge catalog of music and comedy to draw from
- Ability to customize stations and improve recommendations
- Ad-free and unlimited listening with Pandora Plus
- On-demand music with Pandora Premium
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a popular music streaming service that allows users to upload, promote, and share audio content. It has a large catalog of over 300 million tracks from emerging and established artists across many genres. SoundCloud is available as a free service, supported by ads, or through paid subscription plans like SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Pro.
For Android users, SoundCloud offers apps for Android phones and tablets. The free SoundCloud app provides access to a limited catalog of tracks, allows users to like and comment on tracks, and create playlists. With a SoundCloud Go subscription priced at $9.99/month, Android users get unlimited skips, offline listening, and access to the full SoundCloud catalog. SoundCloud Go+ at $12.99/month ads high quality 320kbps audio streams.
Key benefits of SoundCloud for Android users include:
- Huge catalog of over 300 million tracks covering emerging and mainstream artists
- Ability to upload and share your own audio creations
- Offline listening and unlimited skips with paid plans
- Apps optimized for Android phones and tablets
- Social features to follow artists and share tracks
Overall, with its expansive catalog and audio uploading capabilities, SoundCloud is a great option for Android users looking to discover new music, follow rising talents, and share their own audio creations.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is an Android app and online music platform that enables users to discover, download and stream music directly from independent artists (https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/bandcamp-for-android). The platform hosts music from a wide variety of genres and gives artists full control over how they offer their music. Fans can stream albums for free, download in high quality formats, and directly support artists through purchases. Bandcamp also allows artists to sell merchandise alongside music.
The Bandcamp app for Android provides unlimited, free mobile streaming for fans. Users can build a collection, follow artists, share music and playlists, and download purchases (https://www.musicgateway.com/blog/music-promotion/bandcamp-what-is-bandcamp-and-is-it-any-good). Downloads are available in lossless formats like FLAC and ALAC. For artists, Bandcamp Pro offers additional features like detailed analytics, private streaming, and video uploads (https://bandcamp.com/pro). Overall, Bandcamp provides Android users with a way to directly support independent artists and access a wide selection of music.
Other Options
In addition to the major music stores mentioned, there are a few other options Android users can explore to purchase music:
YouTube Music allows users to purchase individual tracks and albums directly in the YouTube Music app. Purchased content can be downloaded for offline listening (source).
SoundCloud offers a catalog of original music that users can purchase directly from artists. Purchases can be downloaded right in the SoundCloud app (source).
Bandcamp is a popular platform for independent artists to sell their music. The Bandcamp app allows Android users to discover and purchase a wide variety of indie music downloads (source).
There are also various online music stores like 7digital and HDtracks where users can purchase high-quality music downloads through a website, which can then be transferred to an Android device.
Conclusion
When it comes to buying music on Android, users have several good options to choose from. Google Play Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, and Bandcamp all offer ways for Android users to purchase and download music. Each service has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Google Play Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music allow you to buy individual albums and songs to download, similar to iTunes. They have large catalogs of both popular and more obscure music. Spotify also offers music purchases in addition to their streaming service. However, Pandora and SoundCloud are more focused on streaming music rather than selling it.
For users looking to directly support artists through their music purchases, Bandcamp is a great option. The prices on Bandcamp tend to be quite reasonable, and the music is often not available on the major music stores. Bandcamp offers high quality downloads and many artists even put up bonus material on their Bandcamp pages.
In summary, Android users have a wide selection of music stores to choose from. Services like Google Play Music and Amazon Music are great for buying mainstream music. But for more independent, niche music, Bandcamp and other specialized stores are worth exploring as well. The best option depends on each user’s specific musical tastes and preferences.
