Top music streaming platforms in Asia – which one is for you?

Top music streaming platforms in Asia – which one is for you?

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Tuning in to your favorite music has come a long way since your favorite artists first learned how to strum a guitar.

From collecting vinyl records, cassette tapes, and CDs, to purchasing tracks digitally, the world has now turned to unlimited streaming for whatever music you fancy. And let's face it, streaming has spoiled everyone.

Today, hundreds of millions of people worldwide subscribe to streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal to keep them company day and night. There's absolutely no need to run out of the house to buy an album, there's no need to tune into the radio to catch your favorite song. All the earworms you could ever want (save for the occassional dispute that pulls entire discographies away) is just a click away and it's really just a matter of choosing which service to place your hard-earned cash on if you don't want ads. 

There are dozens of music streaming sites out there, but which one is the service for you? Below, we give you the lowdown of the most popular music streaming services available in various countries in Asia.

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Apple Music

If you're on iOS, Apple Music would be your go-to music streaming platform. It's got a massive catalogue of over 70 million songs, live radio, and impressive curated playlists.

Possibly the biggest downside to Apple Music is that it does not offer a free version with ads. It does have a free 3-month trial, so music fans can get a chance to experience and enjoy the platform for a limited period.

Where: Available globally.

Price: 9.99 USD or 14.99 USD for a family subscription for up to six people (9.98 SGD/129 PHP/129 THB)

Available on web, iOS, and Android.


Bandcamp

Bandcamp is like the digital equivalent of bands selling you their CDs and cassettes at their underground shows. The platform features independent releases by independent artists and fully supports the little guy in the scene. They also have an initiative called Bandcamp Friday where artists receive 100% of proceeds for their music.

Where: Available globally

Price: cost is per song, per album

Available on web, iOs, and Android.


Deezer

Deezer boasts an ever-expanding catalogue of over 56 million tracks, playlists, radio stations, and podcasts as well as personalized recommendations for its users—and you can have it all for free!

For music fans who prefer to play their favorite tunes offline, with no ads, unlimited skips, and connection to Amazon Alexa and Google Home, Deezer also offers a premium subscription.

Where: Available globally. Check the list here.

Price: 9.99 USD (129 PHP)

Available on iOs and Android.


Genie Music

If you're based in South Korea, live and breathe Korean tunes, Genie is the streaming service you should jump into. With it, fans can acquire "digital points" that may qualify for possible wins on SBS Inkigayo , KBS Music Bank, Mnet M COUNTDOWN, MBC Music Show Champion (Show! Music Core), and SBS MTV The Show.

Streaming music on Genie contributes to the status of artists on music charts.

Where: South Korea

Price: Get it here.

Available on iOs and Android.


JOOX

JOOX is the biggest music streaming app in Asia and claims to have "the strongest and most comprehensive K-Pop library in the digital world." It also delivers concert live streams of some of Korea's biggest acts, as well as video-on-demand offers.

Where: Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, South Africa

Price: MYR 14.90/ THB 129

Available on iOs and Android.


KKBOX

Over 50 million Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean songs, audiobooks, and podcasts wait for on KKBOX. The Asian streaming platform also offers HiFi lossless music (in Taiwan and Singapore) and lets fans collect badges and points the more they stream their idols' music.

Where: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia 

Price: Free

Available on iOs and Android.


Melon

South Korea-exclusive music streaming service Melon (short for melody on) is home to millions of songs, trending charts and playlists, broadcast stations, and easy music searches.

Melon also hosts the annual Melon Music Awards (MMA).

Where: South Korea

Price: Find out more here.

Available on iOs and Android.


QQ Music 

China-based music fans can enjoy free music streaming with QQ Music, a service owned by Tencent Music. Besides streaming music to over 700 million users, QQ Music also hosts the annual QQ Music Awards.

Where: China

Price: Free


SoundCloud

SoundCloud is home to over 20 million independent artists looking to be part of a diverse and open global community. Music fans get the chance to explore over 200 million tracks, including DJ sets, hand-curated playlists, remixes, and freestyles, and connect with the artists and fellow fans to support the underground scene.

Besides the basic free account, music enthusiasts may subscribe to SoundCloud Go+ for offline listening, no ads, and higher quality audio.

Where: Available globally.

Price: Free, 5.99 USD (SoundCloud Go), 9.99 USD (SoundCloud Go+)


Spotify

Spotify currently wears the crown as the most popular music streaming service out there. It's got an extensive catalogue music fans of all genres can choose from with excellent audio quality, collaborative playlists, group listening, and fun personal lists like Spotify Wrapped.

While it does offer a free subscription with ads, Spotify doesn't carry livestreaming content and no lossless audio options.

Where: Available globally. Check the list of countries here.

Available on iOs and Android.


Tidal

If you're all about audio quality, then Tidal is the streaming platform for you.

Known as the streaming service owned by award-winning rapper Jay-Z, Tidal offers excellent sound performance with a higher resolution audio experience than other streaming platforms for its users. It's got an option for lossless playback, exclusive content, music videos, and a HiFi plan that delivers 3D audio tracks using Dolby Atmos or Sony 360 Reality Audio codecs.

While all this may sound too good to be true, Tidal is also quite pricey, especially if you want to go for its HiFi plan at 19.99 USD/monthly.

Where: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America

Price: Premium 9.99 USD, HiFi 19.99 USD, Family Premium 14.99 USD, Family HiFI 29.99 USD 

Available on iOs and Android.


YouTube Music

If you're living within Google's ecosystem, then you should definitely check out YouTube Music for your streaming needs. Besides music, it also offers location-based playlists, the option to find music based on lyric searches, and integrates perfectly with other Google services.

Where: Available globally.

Price: 9.99 USD (PHP 129/9.98 SGD/980 JPY/9.99 GBP/4.90 MYR/49,000 IDR/7,900 KRW)

Available on iOs and Android.