The vast majority of music consumption today comes from the execution of applications corresponding to streaming platforms where the user can choose the music that sounds from a vast catalog of albums, songs, artists …
The platforms of sale of music files allow to always have records and songs without paying monthly fees
Streaming platforms have made it easier that in exchange for a monthly fee there is the availability of a huge catalog available… as long as there is an Internet connection and the subscription price has been paid. But this convenient system also has some disadvantages, essentially that the user does not own the music but merely enjoys the service of accessing it.
This means that there are still those who value positively an alternative that was a real revolution when it was born, but that has been cornered by the hand of Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and other similar services.
These are the platforms that instead of offering a large catalog accessible at any time in exchange for a fixed monthly subscription allow the. purchase of music files in either compressed (such as MP3) or lossless (such as FLAC or ALAC) formats. These files become the property of the user, who does not need to continue paying month after month to have them at his disposal.
The most important and recommended ones are listed below:
-Apple iTunes: This is where it all started when Steve Jobs was able to convince the record labels that instead of selling their products on physical media it would be great business to sell the songs individually for $0.99 a unit.
It continues to be the go-to platform for selling both songs and albums, which it does by offering them in its own AAC format. Apple Music subscribers can also purchase songs in lossless format.
-Amazon Music: It is part of the Prime Music subscription, the paid membership of multiple Amazon services that include free shipping of purchases, streaming movies and series, storage space in the Cloud… and this music platform that extends the limits of the streaming platform included in the service. As a distinctive note, in addition to the purchase itself that allows the download of the music file also allows online storage of the music purchased as well as other MP3s that the user already has.
-Bandcamp: Platform that is part of Epic Games specialized in indie music, allows the download of songs in different formats at no additional cost (MP3, FLAC, Apple Lossless…). On Fridays it organizes special events that allocate 100% of the proceeds to the musicians.
-Bleep: Specialized in dance and indie music, it has a wide selection of music content in high audio quality (FLAC files at 16 bit and 24 bit, lossless) at very competitive prices with other services that also bet on the highest audio quality, although at higher prices.