Spotify has been a popular streaming music service for many years, but recently it has added a new service called Tidal, which focuses on audio books, podcasts and music videos. Here are some of the things you should know about this service.
Free tier
Tidal is a music streaming service that has a wide selection of artists and genres. As a result, it’s a great choice for audiophiles. It offers an ad-supported free tier for US users.
The service has a huge catalogue of 80 million songs. In addition to its curated playlists, it also offers virtual concerts and a range of immersive audio technologies. For example, you can listen to music in Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio and more. Its mobile app contains more than 350, 000 high-quality videos. It has a social feature, which allows you to connect with your friends and fans.
Tidal has also launched a free tier for US users, which will offer unlimited access to music. The company plans to expand the tier to other markets. It’s also introducing direct-to-artist payments. This means that subscribers will be paid by the artist instead of the company. However, it hasn’t given exact pricing details yet.
Currently, Tidal’s HiFi tier costs $10 a month. It has Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) recordings at 24bit/96kHz. The streaming quality is also better than Spotify, which is the only other lossless streaming service.
There are three subscription tiers. The Premium plan costs $20 a month and includes all the features of the HiFi tier. It offers access to an exclusive section, called “Tidal Rising”, which is devoted to new albums and independent artists. It also provides an exclusive access to meet-and-greets and live performances.
The second tier, called the HiFi Plus, costs $20 a month and includes everything from the first tier. This includes direct-to-artist payments and the ability to track the effect of your listening habits on your favorite artists. It also includes Master quality audio at 9,216 kbps. Interestingly, the HiFi Plus tier includes a discount of 10 percent on subscription fees to the most streamed artists.
In addition to this, Tidal’s ad-supported free tier will be available in the US. In addition to streaming, you can use the My Activity feature to view your listening history and share your streaming activity with others. In addition, you can set up content filters and extract links to the songs you play.
Podcasts and audiobooks
If you like listening to podcasts and audiobooks, Spotify is a good option. It has a decent library of titles and offers a few fun perks. However, it is not as well-rounded as competitors such as Apple Music and Tidal.
It is not as easy to find new podcasts and audiobooks on Spotify. Moreover, it doesn’t offer a free tier. If you want a premium experience, you’ll have to pay. Plus, you can’t do much offline. If you’re interested in sharing your favorite playlists with friends, Spotify has several ways of doing so.
On the other hand, Tidal is a great choice for audiophiles. It provides a number of useful features and delivers high-resolution audio at a reasonable price. This is especially true when compared to competitors such as Apple Music and Pandora. The company has also recently introduced the Tidal Connect, which allows users to cast HiFi recordings to connected devices.
Tidal’s user interface is simple and straightforward, which makes it a breeze to navigate. You can see information about an artist’s discography and favorite playlists, as well as a social section. On the sidebar, you’ll find a content filter that helps you to find the right songs, albums, and genres for you.
On the other hand, Tidal doesn’t offer the same level of social features as Spotify. It does have a number of pre-made playlists, though. For instance, there’s a Best of the Decade playlist. There’s also a Hall of Fame playlist. It is also possible to host listening parties with up to five of your friends.
In addition, Tidal’s graphical user interface is well designed. There are many things to do and learn on the site, including a feature that shows how you’re spending your time. Among them is a nifty animation called “Spotify Wrapped.” It gives you the stats of how you’re spending your time. It includes your top songs and artists, as well as the amount of time you’re spending listening.
Although it doesn’t offer as many features as some other competing services, Spotify has a huge library of podcasts and audiobooks. It also has more affordable paid plans.
Audio quality
With Tidal you can listen to hi-res music on the go. You can also download songs for offline listening. Its desktop app has an integrated music library, and you can even browse artists’ feeds and social media channels. Its interface is easy to use, and it’s no less effective than Spotify.
Tidal has two subscription packages – the Premium and HiFi. Both offer a free trial. The Premium package includes lossless, 24-bit audio and Dolby Atmos Music. It also includes a wider hardware support network for its Masters. The Master tier adds a new level of depth and clarity to the sound.
While Spotify has been the standard for streaming audio for years, it hasn’t been the best service for audio quality. The ‘HiFi’ tier, which is expected to arrive in 2021, will stream high-res CD quality at up to 320kbps. In the meantime, you’ll be better off using a more affordable service.
One of the biggest advantages of Tidal is that it pays 100% of its revenue to its artists. This is an important distinction, because it means that you can expect higher royalties than other services. In fact, it’s the only major music service that does this.
In terms of audio quality, Tidal is a step up from Spotify. For the price of a single subscription, you’ll get access to more than 80 million tracks. And for a fraction of the cost, you’ll get better audio than you can find on any standard site.
Tidal is also one of the only major streaming services to offer hi-res music for premium subscribers. In fact, the ‘Master’ tier, which uses MQA, offers authenticated audio quality at up to 9216kbps.
Lastly, the desktop app has a full suite of playback controls. The search bar is big, and it makes finding features a breeze. It’s not the most sophisticated app, but it does its job. You can change audio quality, as well as remove ads, without ever opening the settings menu.
Overall, Spotify is an excellent all-rounder. It offers a 30-day free trial, a free mobile version, and a paid family plan.
Social features
Both Spotify and Tidal have their own unique ways of enhancing music listening experiences. The major difference between the two is that one focuses more on personalization and the other on a more social experience.
If you’re a true fan of music, then you’ll appreciate the personalized content and recommendations that Spotify provides. The platform has more than 300,000 songs and videos in its library. However, for those looking to engage with more than just music, then Tidal is the better choice. The app offers ways to support artists and connect with them in the studio and in live performances. The company has also recently expanded into TV apps.
Spotify also has a lot of different apps for different devices. For example, it has apps for iOS, Android, and PC. In addition, it has apps for Google Maps, Waze, and Apple AirPlay.
Tidal has more than 350,000 songs and videos in its library. It also has an online magazine. In the app, you can read articles about your favorite artists. The site has an “Artist Stories” section, where artists share their experiences in the studio.
Another major feature that Tidal has is its Behind the Lyrics feature. Artists can upload their lyrics to the website, and then fans can see a summary of what they’ve written. For those who want more information about the artist, then the site features a list of their discography.
Both of these music services are great for discovering new music. While Spotify has more international markets, Tidal is more exclusive. In fact, it pays the artists more than Spotify.
Both of these music services have a dark background with blue accents. The user interface is more attractive on Tidal, although the search capabilities of both are comparable. In addition, Tidal offers a free trial. For military people, Tidal is the better option. Lastly, both of these services have a dark mode by default.
If you’re thinking about switching music services, then check out both of these options. Choose the service that suits your needs the best. Whichever one you choose, you’ll be able to stream high quality audio, share your favorite music with friends, and engage with music artists in new and exciting ways.