Whitson Gordon ?
Having to sync all your music between devices is annoying. Luckily a number of cloud music services allow you to stream your music to nearly everything?laptops, tablets, smartphones?with minimal effort or tech know-how. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, depending on your needs; here's how to figure out which one's best for you.
You may have put a lot of effort into cultivating your home computer's music library, but you probably want to listen to that music other places, too. If you want to have that library with you wherever you go, you have a few different services to choose from. Here, we're going to go through some of today's most popular streaming services, where each of them excels, needs work, and how to decide which one fits your needs the best. Note that we're covering only services that let you play your library wherever you go, not "radio" services like Pandora or Last.fm. The goal is to never be without your music library.
Unfortunately, a number of these only work on one platform, while others are paid or only stream a certain amount of songs. To start your search, check out the chart below. Find out which ones work for your platform, which will fit your library, and so on, and then check out the more detailed descriptions below to figure out which one seems like the best fit.
Google Music Kicks Butt on Android and the Web
Google Music lets you upload your entire library to the web and stream it back over Google's fantastic webapp, as well as the new Android Music app. It's currently free while in beta, and the uploader works on Windows and Mac OS X.
Platform: Google Music can stream to any desktop web browser, as well as Android devices.
Price: Free (while in beta)
Pros: Google Music has one of the best, if not the best, desktop webapp of the bunch. It's smooth, fast, easy to use, and has some cool extra features like the "Instant Mix" and thumbs up that help create on-the-go playlists. The Android app is also pretty snazzy, with some neat album art views and the ability to download songs for offline playback. And, at least for now, it's free, which makes it very tempting.
Google Music's uploader also deserves some recognition, since it's a good deal better than some of the others. Google's uploader will watch your iTunes or Windows Media Player library for changes, so your online library is always up-to-date. If you don't use one of those players, it can also watch a folder on your system for new music. And, since your music probably takes a few days to upload the first time around, it's really nice that it remembers your position. That way, if you need to restart your computer, it will continue uploading where it left off.
Cons: Google Music's biggest con is that it's only available on Android, so iPhone users and other mobile devices are completely left out. Uploading your music also takes awhile (my 30GBG library took a good 3-5 days of near-constant uploading), which can be a pain at first, but afterwards isn't a big deal. Other than those two issues, it's pretty darn awesome.
It's also worth mentioning that Google Music is currently in invite-only beta, so you can't get started right away. You'll need to request an invite first, then wait for it to come in your email.
Who it's Perfect For: Google Music's biggest perk is its awesome webapp. Most of the players on this list can stream to Android, so it isn't "special" there. But if you're streaming to your laptop while, say, on vacation, it stands out amongst the others with it's smooth-as-butter web-based desktop player. So, it's perfect for people who stream a lot to the desktop, and who don't stream to iOS or other non-Android platforms. It's also great if you have a huge library, since the limit on how much you can upload is pretty big.
Amazon Cloud Player Is a Store and Streaming Service Rolled Into One
With Amazon Cloud Player, you pay for a specific amount of space on Amazon.com, and upload your music there for streaming over the web or on Android. You can grab 20GB of space just by buying one Amazon MP3 album, and any tracks you buy on Amazon MP3 go directly into your cloud library without counting toward that space. Its uploader is available for Windows and Mac OS X.
Platform: Amazon Cloud Player can stream to any desktop web browser, as well as Android devices. It can sort of stream to iOS, but it isn't something I would rely on.
Price: $50/year for 50GB, $100 for 100GB, and so on up to 1000GB
Pros: Amazon's webapp is also a pretty good player, and while not on the same level as Google Music, provides a pretty nice experience. Its mobile webapp is also nice, and while it doesn't have a ton of extra features, it does let you listen to both your cloud music and music stored on your device, as well as download songs for offline playback, which is a plus.
Amazon's biggest pro, however, is that it integrates amazingly well with the Amazon MP3 store. If you buy an album on Amazon MP3, it automatically goes into your cloud library, no uploading necessary?and it doesn't count toward your space allotment, which is great. Plus, if you buy an album from Amazom MP3, they'll jack your space up by 15GB, meaning you get a total of 20GB on Amazon Cloud player without subscribing.
Cons: Like Google Music, Amazon Cloud Player is only available on Android and the web, so iOS users are once again (mostly) left out in the cold. In addition, it's uploader is less than friendly. It won't scan your library for changes, so you have to upload any new music manually, and if you have to restart your computer during the initial upload, you have to reselect all the music you want to upload, which is a huge pain. In addition, you pay by the amount of space you use, which if you have a lot of songs isn't great. If you have less than 20GB of music, though, you won't be paying at all.
Who it's Perfect For: Amazon Cloud Player is pretty good, but Google Music trumps it in almost every respect. The only thing it offers that Google doesn't is integration with the Amazon MP3 store, which is nice. I'd say if you buy a ton of music from Amazon MP3, Amazon Cloud Player will make your life a bit easier. If you only buy a few albums every once in a while, though, you might as well take the five minutes to upload them to Google instead, and pass on Amazon's service. Especially since anything you've already bought on Amazon MP3 will have to be uploaded as normal music; it's only music you buy after signing up that goes directly into your library.
iCloud is a Mac and iPhone User's Dream
iCloud hasn't rolled out completely yet, but Apple's given us a pretty good idea of what it can do. The goal of iCloud isn't to stream your music, but to make it available to all your devices. It syncs all your iTunes purchases between devices for free, and will make available all your non-iTunes-bought music for a yearly price.
Platform: iCloud can sync to iTunes on Windows and Mac OS X, as well as iOS.
Price: Free for iTunes-bought music, $25/year for non-iTunes music
Pros: iCloud, in traditional Apple fashion, is set up in a way that minimizes the work you have to do. Anything you buy on iTunes will automatically be pushed to your other devices, so you have them wherever you go. It will also scan your library for any non-iTunes-bought tracks, and make iTunes versions of those tracks available to your other devices, which means you don't have to upload your entire library.
Cons: Unfortunately, with the exception of new music bought on iTunes, it doesn't look like iCloud actually streams music?it just makes all that music available for download on your devices. So, if you buy a physical CD and rip it at home, you have to either sync it to your device or re-download the iTunes matched version on your phone and other devices. In the end, it just takes the annoyance of transferring your music away from the desktop and adds it to the mobile side, which is much more annoying.
Who it's Perfect For: It's pretty clear that iCloud is perfect for iTunes users, specifically those that buy most of their music from iTunes. If you get all your new musc from iTunes, this is the service for you. If you still rip your own music (or get it from other, non-iTunes sources), stay away. You're much better off with one of the other services here.
mSpot Streams to Both iOS and Android Devices
mSpot is similar to Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player, in the sense that you upload your music and can then stream it to any desktop web browser or your mobile device. Unlike the others, however, mSpot can stream to both iPhone and Android, making it ideal for cross-platform families.
Platform: mSpot streams to any desktop web browser, as well as Android and iOS.
Price: Free for 5GB, $4/month for 40GB
Pros: mSpot has been around for awhile, so it has a few cool features going for it like lyrics searching and online radio stations. It's big draw, though, is that it's cross-platform on mobile, so if you have an iPhone and your spouse/roomate/whatever has an Android phone, you can share a streaming music library. And, like most of the other services, it can cache songs for offline play when you don't have a connection.
Cons: Surprisingly, mSpot doesn't have a ton of cons. Its webapp isn't quite as polished as Google's, but it's still really nice, and easy to use. The only con it really has is its price: mSpot is free for 5GB, but any more than that and you'll have to spring for a $4/month 40GB account. That's a bit more expensive than Amazon, and limits you to 40GB, but still isn't bad for a high-quality, cross-platform app.
Who it's Perfect For: mSpot is the service to use if you want a traditional upload-and-stream experience, but need it on both iPhone and Android. Most of the "cloud locker" services, like Google, Amazon, and iCloud, only work on one platform, making mSpot the best choice for cross-platform families.
Subsonic is Cheap and Streams Nearly Anywhere from Your Home Computer
Subsonic is a bit different than the other cloud services mentioned here. Instead of streaming your music from Subsonic's servers, you stream music directly from your home computer. This means that you don't have to ever worry about uploading your music, but it also means you have to keep your main computer on all the time (though it also runs on servers). Subsonic can stream music from pretty much any desktop platform.
Platform: Subsonic can stream to its web-based player on the desktop, as well as Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7.
Price: Free for streaming desktop-to-desktop, $20 donation required for streaming to mobile
Pros: You don't have to upload any music, which means you'll be able to start streaming almost immediately. Just tell it where your music is stored, and you'll be able to access it from your other devices and start streaming (or downloading them for offline play). Depending on your router, however, you may need to forward some ports (though Subsonic does support automatic port mapping for newer routers). Subsonic also has a ton of configuration options, which gives you a lot of power over how you want to stream your media. It also streams videos, which is a really nice touch.
Cons: Subsonic's music player is very basic, and a little ugly. However, it'll get the job done well, and without the need to upload anything, so complaining about it seems a little nitpicky. It also requires your home computer to be on and awake all the time, or at least any time you might want to stream. This may not be a big deal for some, but might annoy others. If you have a server somewhere in your house, it would be perfect for that. Lastly,, its configuration options may be a bit confusing for some, and if you have an old router, you might even need to manually forward some ports.
Who it's Perfect For: Subsonic is perfect for those that have a server or always-on computer in their house, and just want to stream their media to all their devices without the hassle of constantly uploading everything. If you want simple, near-immediate access to your library from afar, Subsonic is the way to do it.
It's also worth mentioning here that if you don't need all the configuration options that Subsonic provides, the free Audiogalaxy service is a very similar service that doesn't require as much setup. If you don't want to deal with IP addresses and port forwarding and all that, Audiogalaxy is another great choice. You won't have as much control, but you'll be up and streaming in no time at all. Plus, it's completely free, whether you're streaming to the desktop or to mobile.
Grooveshark Plays Far More than Just Your Home Library
Grooveshark already has its own library of songs, so instead of uploading yours to a library, you can add songs from its massive collection to your own. It also has a feature that scans your library for tracks it already has and adds them to your personal library, as well as uploads tracks it doesn't already have. It works on the web, and streams to a number of mobile platforms for a monthly fee.
Platform: Web, Android, Jailbroken iPhone, Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia
Price: Free; $9/month for mobile streaming
Pros: Grooveshark has a pretty massive library of songs already on its servers, meaning that you can just start streaming whatever you want immediately. Search for a track, and chances are Grooveshark has it. Its player is pretty darn nice too, designed around creating on-the-fly playlists as you search around. What's nice is that you can scan in your current music library, and then add to it with Grooveshark's other offerings. Plus, if you're on a mobile device, you can download songs for offline playback, which is pretty sweet considering you don't even have to upload them in the first place.
Cons: My main problem with Grooveshark is that its selection, while bountiful, is disorganized. Searching its database gives you a ton of different duplicate songs, and scanning my own library was glitchy in and of itself. It imports most songs pretty well, but for some reason some just won't go through, even though it has them on file, and you'll have to add them manually. If your goal is to just get to some music, Grooveshark'll do it, but if you're a bit more obsessive about your metadata and library organizatoin, it might frustrate you a bit too much.
Who it's Perfect For: Grooveshark is perfect for the die hard music junkies that want access to as many tracks as possible. Grooveshark's community-oriented infrastructure means you can access just about any song, even some rare or bootleg tracks as long as someone's uploaded them. And if they haven't, you can, which makes its libraries one of the best around.
Rdio
Rdio is Grooveshark's clean-cut cousin, offering an organized, vast-but-not-infinite library of popular songs for streaming to all your devices. Rdio has a desktop application that scans your iTunes or Windows Media Player library and matches your songs with your online Rdio library, as well as a big social networking component that helps you discover new music. Rdio does have a desktop app, but it isn't that amazing, and probably won't replace your usual desktop player like Spotify might.
Platform: Rdio streams to any desktop browser as well as to Android and iOS devices.
Price: If you're just streaming to the desktop, Rdio costs $5 a month. If you're streaming to mobile as well, it costs $10 a month.
Pros: Like Grooveshark, Rdio lets you stream not just from your own library, but from Rdio's large library of music anywhere you go. You can scan your own library and import those tracks into Rdio, giving you an organized, online version of your library that you can then soup up with extra tracks. Rdio is also extremely organized for the neat freaks among us. It can also download tracks for local storage, so you can listen to them even when you don't have a connection.
Cons: The bad part about Rdio is that you only get the tracks in their library. If you have something that Rdio doesn't, you can't stream it, plain and simple. This isn't a problem for most songs, but if you have a few obscure or bootleg tracks in your library, you won't be able to stream those. And, since it isn't community-built like Grooveshark, there may be a few gaping holes in Rdio's collection if a certain record label or band hasn't signed on with them.
Who it's Perfect For: Rdio is great for those that want to listen to more than just the library they have on hand, but prefer a bit more organization (and legitimacy) when they do it. Rdio's also great for anyone that likes to constantly discover new music, as its social networking service is a really big part of the webapp. If your friends are on it, it would benefit you to be on it as well.
Spotify
Spotify is a very clever streaming service. Instead of streaming from its own central servers, most music is streamed from person-to-person. However, apart from its internals, it seems very similar to services like Grooveshark and Rdio: it has a library from which you can stream music, and it can scan your library and let you play all of those tracks from the Spotify desktop player, as well as sync your playlists to your mobile device.
Platform: Spotify is a desktop app available for Windows and Mac, though it runs under WINE in Linux. You can also stream to Android, iOS, Windows Phone 7, Palm, and Symbian.
Price: Price differs by country, but in Europe you should find that the price is around 5?/month for unlimited desktop streaming, and 10?/month for mobile streaming. You can stream a limited amount of music for free, as well as listen to as much of your existing music as you want.
Pros: Spotify's pros are pretty much the same as Rdio's: you have a massive library from which you can amp up your own, existing library, and stream nearly any of its tracks wherever you are. Spotify's also available on a ton of different devices, meaning if you have a phone running something other than Andorid or iOS, you might actually be able to use one of these services (go figure).
Cons: The big problem with Spotify, like Rdio, is that it doesn't let you upload your own tracks to the service. While you can play your rare, bootleg, or obscure tracks on your own computer, you can't stream those to other computers or you mobile device. Again, you have access to a ton of different songs, but there are a select few you just won't be able to play. In addition, Spotify still isn't available in the US, so US users have to go through a lot of trouble to use it. For the record, you can sync them directly to your mobile device. It isn't perfect (after all, the point is to not have to sync), but it's better than nothing. At least you can still listen to those rare tracks on your mobile device, whereas with something like Rdio you're SOL.
Who it's Perfect For: Spotify has a fantastic desktop player, so if you aren't really into webapps, this is where it's at. While you might only use the other webapps for streaming, Spotify will replace your regular desktop player entirely. So if you like to listen to a lot of tracks from all over the place all the time, Spotify's a good one to look at.
That's not every streaming service out there, but it's more than enough to get you started. Each of them is a little different, in ways both big and small, so if more than one seems to suit your fancy, try it out. Most have free trials, and you can upload just a small portion of your library and play around with the apps to see if you like them. Got a favorite that we didn't mention here? Let us know about it in the comments.
You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.
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