Where can I buy music to download on Android?
Downloading music directly to an Android device has been a popular option for many years. Ever since the first Android smartphones came out over a decade ago, users have wanted an easy way to get songs onto their devices without needing a computer. The rise of digital music stores and streaming services has transformed the landscape, but downloading music for offline listening remains an important part of the Android experience.
The biggest advantage of downloading music to an Android device is being able to listen to songs anytime, even without an internet connection. This makes it ideal for situations like traveling, commuting, or being in areas with poor reception. Downloaded music also saves data usage compared to streaming.
There are now multiple ways Android users can purchase and download music. While early Android devices relied heavily on Google’s own Play Music service, today there are many stores to choose from, offering both paid downloads and free content. Streaming apps like Spotify also allow downloading songs for offline access. With so many options now available, Android users have more choice than ever in how they get music onto their mobile devices.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music is Google’s music and podcast streaming service. It allows you to access a library of over 40 million songs to stream or download for offline listening.
Google Play Music offers both a free, ad-supported option as well as Google Play Music All Access, which is a paid subscription option. The paid All Access subscription is $9.99 per month and gives you access to the full Google Play Music catalog without ads.
Google Play Music All Access has a library of over 40 million songs. This gives you access to an extensive catalog of music to stream or download (Source).
Some key pros of Google Play Music include:
- Large library of songs to stream or download
- Ability to upload up to 50,000 of your own songs
- Ad-free listening with paid subscription
- Offline listening for subscribed users
Some potential downsides include:
- Free tier has ads
- Uploads limited to 50,000 songs
- Not as many exclusives or new releases as some competitors
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is one of the top options for downloading music on Android. It offers access to over 70 million songs across a variety of plans. The free tier gives you access to top playlists and stations, while their Unlimited plan unlocks the full catalog on-demand for $7.99/month ($79/year) for Prime members. The HD plan upgrades to lossless quality audio for $14.99/month ($149/year).
A standout feature of Amazon Music is the integration with Alexa and Amazon Prime. You can ask Alexa to play any song, playlist or station directly. Amazon Prime members get a discount on the Unlimited plan. Downloaded music can also be listened to offline, which is handy for trips without connectivity.
On the downside, the free tier is quite limited unless you have a Prime membership. The app itself is fairly basic, lacking some customization and playlist options offered by competitors. But overall Amazon Music is a solid option for Android users, especially those with Alexa devices or Prime memberships.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is Google’s streaming music app and service. It offers both a free tier and YouTube Music Premium paid subscription. The paid YouTube Music Premium provides ad-free, offline, and background listening. There are also options to stream songs or upload your personal music collection to listen to.
YouTube Music gives you access to YouTube’s catalog of over 80 million official songs, albums, thousands of playlists, and artist radio plus YouTube’s massive catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos. The paid Premium tier unlocks the full catalog ad-free, enables offline download, and background listening.
One of YouTube Music’s key features is offline listening. With a Premium subscription, you can download songs, albums, playlists and music videos to your mobile device for offline playback when you don’t have an internet connection (source). This makes YouTube Music great for listening when traveling or without WiFi. There are options to select specific songs or download entire albums or playlists for offline listening (source).
Overall, the pros of YouTube Music are its massive catalog of official songs, remixes and music videos, offline listening capability, and integration with your existing YouTube account. Downsides are that the free tier has ads and limited features. The paid tier is one of the more expensive streaming options. But for YouTube fans who want a music app, it can be a great choice.
Spotify
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services, with over 381 million monthly active users as of 2021 (Spotify – Apps on Google Play). It offers both free and premium versions, with premium versions starting at $9.99/month for individuals. The premium version offers ad-free listening, on-demand playback, offline listening, and improved audio quality.
Spotify has an extensive music library with over 70 million tracks. This includes major label releases as well as independent artists. Spotify also offers podcasts, audiobooks, and other talk content. Users can browse or search for content, create playlists, follow other users, and get customized recommendations.
The service has many social features. Users can follow friends and see what they are listening to. Playlists and songs can be shared on social media or directly with friends. Spotify also shows users playlists and recommendations based on their listening history and likes.
Spotify is available for Android devices running Android OS 5.0 or later (Supported devices for Spotify). The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Spotify is compatible with both smartphones and tablets. It also offers Android Auto integration.
Pandora
Pandora is a popular internet radio service that allows users to create customized radio stations based on songs, artists, or genres they like. Pandora uses complex algorithms to generate stations that play music similar to the selected songs or artists. It is available across a wide range of devices, including Android phones and tablets.
Pandora operates on a freemium model, offering both free and paid subscription options. The free version allows listeners to create stations and listen to music with occasional audio ads. Pandora Plus removes ads and provides unlimited skips and replays for $4.99/month. Pandora Premium offers an on-demand streaming experience with offline listening for $9.99/month.
One limitation of Pandora’s free tier is that it does not allow on-demand track selection or offline listening. However, Pandora Premium subscribers can download up to 100 tracks at a time for offline listening. There is a dedicated Pandora mobile app for Android that allows Pandora Premium users to download music to listen when offline.[1]
Overall, Pandora provides a unique radio listening experience and is widely available on Android devices. With a paid Pandora Premium subscription, Android users can unlock additional features like offline downloads to listen to music on the go without an internet connection.
SoundCloud
Overview of SoundCloud
SoundCloud is one of the world’s largest music streaming platforms focused primarily on independent artists. It allows users to upload, promote, and share music and audio content. The free tier provides access to 200M tracks, allows uploading up to 3 hours of audio, and basic stats. The paid subscription removes ads, unlocks offline listening for mobile, provides advanced stats, and more upload time.
Free tier vs paid subscription
The free SoundCloud tier provides basic access to stream music and some upload capability. Upgrading to SoundCloud Pro or Pro Unlimited removes ads, allows offline listening on mobile, provides more detailed stats on your tracks, and higher upload limits from 3 hours per month up to unlimited. There are also additional monetization options with a paid plan.
Genres and content types
SoundCloud caters to emerging and independent artists across many genres like hip hop, electronic, rock, pop, experimental, and more. In addition to music, there are podcasts, interviews, comedy, audiobooks, and other audio content. It specializes in underground and up-and-coming artists looking to grow their fanbase.
Android app features
The SoundCloud Android app allows free users to stream music, like tracks, follow artists, create playlists, share music, and upload up to 3 hours of audio. Upgrading to SoundCloud Pro or Pro Unlimited unlocks additional features like offline listening, advanced stats, and more upload time. The app has a clean, intuitive interface tailored for mobile.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a popular platform for artists to share their music directly with fans. Fans can purchase digital music to download as well as physical merchandise from artists. It’s a great place for music discovery across many genres like rock, electronic, hip hop, metal, and more.
Bandcamp makes music discovery easy by highlighting new releases, top selling albums, and recommended albums based on your listening history. Fans can follow their favorite artists to get notified of new releases. There are also genre and tag pages to browse music. The Bandcamp community on Reddit is also active in discussing new music.
When you purchase music on Bandcamp, you can download the tracks as MP3, FLAC, ALAC, and more. Purchases are available to download again at any time from your collection. The Bandcamp mobile app for iOS and Android makes downloading and listening to your purchases easy. You can also queue up albums and tracks to play. However, some users feel the mobile app needs a redesign to improve the user experience.
Other Options
In addition to the major music streaming platforms, there are some other services to consider:
Deezer: Offers a huge library with 53 million tracks along with original content like podcasts and radio stations. In addition to standard streaming, Deezer has lossless HiFi audio for high quality sound. Pricing starts at free for limited features, or $9.99 per month for Premium (source).
Tidal: Focuses on high fidelity lossless audio quality and music discovery with curated editorial content. Tidal claims to pay artists higher royalty rates than competitors. Plans start at $9.99 per month for standard quality streaming. Lossless HiFi quality plans cost $19.99 per month (source).
Napster: Offers a large catalog of over 50 million tracks and integration with Rhapsody music services. Napster also has a focus on curated music with playlists and radio stations. Pricing starts at $9.99 per month for standard streaming (source).
Recommendation
Based on the options covered, the top picks for buying music to download on Android are Google Play Music, Amazon Music, and Spotify. All three services have extensive music catalogs, offer high-quality audio, and work seamlessly on Android devices.
However, for Android users looking specifically to purchase and download music, Google Play Music may be the best overall option. Google Play has a huge selection of songs and albums available for purchase, with most priced between $1-2 per track. Purchased music can be downloaded DRM-free, meaning you actually own the music files and can play them anywhere, even without an internet connection. Google Play Music also offers solid features like customized playlists and radio stations.
The one downside is that Google Play Music is being phased out in favor of YouTube Music. However, currently purchases music will still remain accessible. Overall, for Android users wanting to buy and download songs or albums to play offline, Google Play Music is a top choice.