Premium music is a term used in the music business for music tracks sold directly to consumers, either as individual songs or as part of a compilation. It is a clear distinction from music bought and used by radio (public) or broadcast (commercial) stations, which must pay a licensing fee to the song’s copyright owner. In contrast, premium music buyers pay only for the copyright, which enables them to make unlimited copies of the track. However, once these copies have been created, the company that owns the exclusive rights to the song can charge relicensing fees to radio stations and broadcast outlets that want to play the songs.
Premium music subscriptions are on the rise, and music lovers have more options than ever.
Here are some of the Premium Music Options
Prime Music
Amazon’s Prime Music service is a convenient and easy way to stream music to your devices anytime. With Prime Music, you can access over one million songs, thousands of playlists, and ad-free stations. Best of all, you can listen anywhere you have an internet connection: at home, at the office, or on the go on your phone or tablet. Explore your options.
Pandora
Pandora is a streaming music service that gives you access to unlimited music, with no limits on the number of songs, albums, or playlists you can listen to each month. This is great news for people who love to keep their finger on the pulse of new music releases without spending a dime. Streaming services have increased in recent years, and Pandora is one of the biggest and best-known services on the market.
The platform launched a new premium music service, replacing its Unlimited Free option. The Premium option, called Pandora One, costs $3.99 per month but comes with many more perks than the free option. The premium option offers unlimited skips and the ability to create playlists based on specific songs, albums, and artists. Pandora One is ad-free, while the free version has a 5-second skip limit.
Spotify
While streaming services like Apple Music and Google Play Music offer a more affordable entry into music streaming, Spotify Premium offers plenty of perks that the other two don’t. The ability to listen to Spotify for free, including on a laptop or mobile device, makes it a great choice for those who might only occasionally wish to listen to music via a streaming service. But for those who want all the premium features but don’t want to pay a monthly subscription, here are a few options for a premium Spotify subscription:
Spotify Premium is Spotify’s premium music subscription. It costs $9.99 monthly or $120 annually and is ad-free. In addition to Spotify’s free 30-day trial, Spotify Premium offers a separate 30-day trial of Music Unlimited and Premium for Family options, both of which cost $9.99 monthly.
Apple Music
Apple Music is iTunes’ answer to the streaming music wars and includes some cool features. For new subscribers, Apple Music offers a three-month free trial, and if you decide to continue after the trial is over, you’ll get a free three-month subscription to all of Apple Music’s exclusive features. It includes songs only available on Apple Music and access to Beats 1, a 24/7 radio station showcasing the top DJs and live music performances. Apple Music also provides exclusive, behind-the-scenes video content, and if you’re looking to listen to curated playlists, Apple Music Unlimited is the way to go.
Premium music options used to be limited to Apple’s iTunes Music, but times have changed. Today, Apple Music subscribers have unlimited access to Apple Music’s catalog of more than 30 million songs, accessible on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices. Better yet, the subscription is reasonably priced—Apple Music starts at just $9.99 per month.
The Best of Premium Music is a collection of 100 instrumental songs from independent artists, released under royalty-free licensing. This collection features 100 tracks of the best sample loops and production-ready arrangements in a variety of genres, including hip-hop, jazz, and breakbeat.