AllMusic
allmusic.comDeep discographies, credits, reviews and genre histories. The music reference site critics themselves check.
Music: The Best Websites
Every major way to listen to music online, in one place: the free options, the audiophile options, and the ones that put the most money in artists' pockets.
Music Sites at a Glance
| Service | Free tier? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Yes (with ads) | Playlists, discovery, podcasts; lossless now included on Premium |
| YouTube Music | Yes (with ads) | Live versions, remixes and anything with a video |
| Apple Music | No | Lossless and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost |
| Pandora | Yes (US only) | Lean-back personalized radio |
| SoundCloud | Yes | Independent and emerging artists, DJ mixes |
| Bandcamp | Free streaming | Buying music directly from artists |
| Tidal | No | Hi-res FLAC for audiophiles |
| Last.fm | Yes | Tracking what you play, music stats and recommendations |
Apple Music
music.apple.comApple's streaming service: over 100 million songs with lossless audio and Dolby Atmos included at no extra cost. No free tier, but the sound quality benchmark at the standard price.
Bandcamp
bandcamp.comThe best place to actually buy music. Stream free, then pay artists directly for downloads, vinyl and merch; artists keep a large share of every sale, and monthly Bandcamp Fridays waive fees entirely.
CMT (Country Music Television)
cmt.comCMT is the long-running home of country music on cable: artist news, video premieres and the CMT Music Awards.
Discogs
discogs.comThe definitive crowd-built database of physical music releases, plus the biggest marketplace for vinyl and CDs. Every pressing, cataloged.
Genius
genius.comThe world's biggest lyrics site, with line-by-line annotations explaining what the words actually mean, sometimes from the artists themselves.
Last.fm
last.fmNo longer a streaming service, but the best way to track your listening. Last.fm 'scrobbles' what you play on Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere, then builds stats, charts and recommendations from your real history.
MTV
mtv.comMTV's official site: reality franchises like The Challenge, the VMAs, and clips from four decades of music television history.
NPR Music
npr.org/musicListen to new music, podcasts, live concerts and studio sessions. Watch video sessions. Read interviews with musicians and music reviews. NPR covers the best new songs from rock, pop, folk, jazz, urban, world and classical music.
Pandora
pandora.comFree, personalized internet radio (US only), now owned by SiriusXM. Thumb songs up or down and Pandora builds stations around your taste. The easiest lean-back way to discover music.
SoundCloud
soundcloud.comThe home of independent and emerging music. Millions of artists upload directly, making it the place to hear new tracks, remixes and DJ mixes before they reach the big platforms. Free to listen.
Spotify
open.spotify.comThe world's most popular music streaming service: a free ad-supported tier, excellent playlists and discovery, podcasts, and (since 2025) lossless audio for Premium subscribers.
Tidal
tidal.comThe audiophile streaming choice: hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz and Dolby Atmos. No free tier, but the go-to service if sound quality is your priority.
VH1
vh1.comVH1 online: clips and episodes from its reality franchises, pop culture news and the network's music-adjacent programming.
YouTube Music
music.youtube.comGoogle's streaming service and the replacement for Google Play Music. Its unique strength is YouTube's catalog: live versions, remixes and covers that no other service has. Free with ads.
How to Choose a Music Site
If you want free music, legally
Spotify's ad-supported tier, YouTube Music's free tier, Pandora's radio (in the US), SoundCloud and Bandcamp's free streaming are the legitimate free options. Note that Tidal dropped its free tier, and the old free stalwarts of this category, like Google Play Music and Rhapsody, are gone entirely.
If you care about sound quality
Apple Music includes lossless and Dolby Atmos in its standard price. Tidal streams hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz, and Qobuz remains the audiophile specialist. Spotify finally added a lossless tier in 2025.
If you want to support artists directly
Bandcamp remains the best place to actually buy music; artists keep a large share of every sale, and Bandcamp Fridays waive the platform's cut entirely. SoundCloud is still where much new independent music appears first.
What Happened to the Old Music Sites?
Google Play Music shut down in 2020, replaced by YouTube Music. Rhapsody became Napster, which soldiers on as a niche service. iTunes as a music store lives on inside Apple Music and the Apple TV apps; the classic iTunes application is gone from modern systems. Last.fm survives, not as a streaming service but as the best way to track and analyze your listening across every other service. Music television brands like MTV, VH1 and CMT still exist, but they are entertainment news and video sites now rather than places to listen to music.
Music: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free site to listen to music?
Spotify Free and YouTube Music's free tier have the largest catalogs among legal free options. Pandora is a good lean-back radio option in the US, and SoundCloud and Bandcamp are best for independent artists, both with free streaming.
Which music streaming service has the best sound quality?
Tidal and Qobuz stream hi-res FLAC up to 24-bit/192kHz. Apple Music includes lossless and Dolby Atmos at no extra cost, and Spotify added a lossless tier in 2025. For most listeners on ordinary headphones, all the major services sound very similar.
Is Google Play Music still available?
No. Google shut down Google Play Music in December 2020. Its replacement is YouTube Music, which offers both free ad-supported and premium tiers.
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