Best Music Websites for Your Buck

Best Music Websites For Your BuckDo you have a favorite music website? Share it with other readers on LearnVest's Facebook page, where you'll find tips and connect with like-minded women.

Whether you're listening to Beyoncé circa 2011 or Pearl Jam circa 1993, internet music services are as eclectic as Girl Talk's mash-ups.

But in an already wide arena of music sites, a lot of changes are afoot. Last week, we learned about brand new online DJ site Turntable.fm (which has gained 140,000 users in its first month); one day later, Spotify, a European music-streaming service with over 10 million users, launched in North America.

We’ve tried both … and they’re both great. And so are the 20+ sites and services like them out there. To save you the time and the drudgery of visiting any music site or service that’s a shade less than excellent, we created a chart with the best of the best.

Check out our findings to see which online music sites and services are worth your time (and, possibly, your money). We judged them on a scale of one to five stars, with our top choice getting a perfect five.

Now, you can finally say good-bye to Youtube-ing your favorite songs at the office.

WebsiteCostProsCons

Grooveshark

Rating: ****

Music search engine and streaming service

Free
  • Can listen to specific songs at will
  • Predicts other songs you'll like
  • Shareable playlists
  • App was recently pulled from official Android market
  • Questions about the site's legality

The Hype Machine

Rating: ***

Listen to bloggers' top picks and create playlists

Free
  • Aggregates music bloggers' posts
  • Play songs while reading about them
  • Can search for specific tracks (if they're offered)
  • Create playlists from tracks
  • Can't rearrange songs within playlists
  • Looking for a song not discussed on the blog? You're out of luck

Last.fm

Rating: ***

Music search engine and streaming service that recommends music

Free: U.S., U.K. & Germany; All else: 3 euros/mo.
  • Stations based on your favorite artists
  • Tracks your tastes on Last.fm and on Hype Machine to make recommendations
  • Can listen to only 30 second-previews of specific songs
  • Hard to navigate the website
  • Design is functional but boring

Pandora

Rating:***

Streams music channels—not a search engine

Free; premium version: $36/year
  • Stations based on your favorite artists
  • Technology predicts songs you'll like

 

  • Can't skip to specific songs
  • Songs loop after a while
  • Only 40 free hours per month

Rdio

Rating: **

Subscription music search engine with streaming and downloading services

$5/mo. to play music online; $10 for mobile
  • 8.5 million songs available
  • Use it like iTunes ... but you don't have to own the music
  • Share playlists with other users
  • Song selection more limited than competitors
  • No free option

Rhapsody

Rating: **

Subscription music search engine with streaming and downloading services

$10/mo. for one mobile device or mp3 player; $15 for up to three devices
  • 12 million songs
  • Use it like iTunes ... but you don't have to own the music
  • Works with many different smartphones
  • No free option
  • More expensive than other streaming services

Spotify

Rating: *****

Music search engine and streaming service

Free version; $5/mo. for unlimited ; $10/mo. to stream to mobile
  • Over 15 million songs
  • Use it like iTunes ... but you don't have to own the music
  • Four major record labels on-board
  • Upload your personal music
  • Launched in the U.S. only a week ago
  • Free option is invite-only
  • Free option will eventually be capped at 20 hours per month

The Sixty One

Rating: ***

Streams music channels by new artists

 Free
  • Beautiful website design
  • Dedicated to discovering new artists
  • Selects music for you based on your mood
  • Can't choose tracks at will
  • Few mainstream artists
  • Songs loop after a while
  • Few ways to connect with other users

Turntable.fm

Rating: ****

Enter rooms to listen to other users DJ songs, or create private rooms for you and your friends

Free, but must have a Facebook friend already using the site to enter
  • Up to five users DJ songs from personal collections or site's library
  • Chat discussions
  • Gamer aesthetic: users have avatars and vote on songs they like
  • Still in beta-testing, so there are glitches
  • Library is sufficient, but not yet that comprehensive

Come hang out with the editorial team on Turntable.fm. Sign in to the site, and then search for the "LearnVest" listening room. Tell us which site you like most, and get to know us while we spin our favorite workday jams.

In Other News ...

Amazon gives away free mp3 downloads if you follow them on Twitter. Best feeds to follow for free stuff. Click here.
A lot has changed in over a year. Look at what our favorite picks were just last year. Read this.
Remember Limewire? Here's why it was shut down.

Got a favorite music site that we didn’t include? Let us know in the comments.

 

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  • Brittany

    You forgot about Songza and Mog, both really awesome services.

  • http://twitter.com/lulu7 Carli Donofrio

    8tracks.com is also great! I won’t tell you why, just check it out!

  • Nette

    You are missing slacker radio, which is similar to pandora but less repetitive and with better settings/options.  There is the occasional ad, but it is totally free with no time limits (at least I’ve never come close to maxing them out).

  • Lyram711

    MySpoonful and NoiseTrade aren’t exactly streaming sites but both allow you to download music from emerging artists.

  • Lyram711

    MySpoonful and NoiseTrade aren’t exactly streaming sites but both allow you to download music from emerging artists.

  • Lyram711

    MySpoonful and NoiseTrade aren’t exactly streaming sites but both allow you to download music from emerging artists.

  • Lyram711

    MySpoonful and NoiseTrade aren’t exactly streaming sites but both allow you to download music from emerging artists.

  • http://twitter.com/natalielsoud Natalie Soud

    Another fantastic thing about Spotify premium – you can actually listen to your playlists offline.

  • http://sunsetintherearview.com Lydia – Sunset in the Rearview

    I’m biased, but I love Sunset in the Rearview music blog! (http://sunsetintherearview.com)

  • DJ 401k

    turntable.fm is the best!

    • eB

      Yes! It’s awesome. Best place to go if you really want to hear new stuff and expand your horizons while having some control over the process.

  • Kate

    You forgot 8tracks http://8tracks.com/

  • Anonymous

    I’m surprised no one mentioned Playlist.com I’ve gotten my brother hooked on it too! It’s a free site, you create your own playlists. Basically it searches the internet for the songs you requested and you’re essentially creating a list of websites/streaming songs that you can listen to from one page. I literally have at least 80 different playlists (that I’ve created over the past couple years). I share my playlists with friends or family. It’s nice to send my parents a “list” I’ve made just for them. Occasionally you get a commercial, but I don’t find it that disruptive. It just reminds me of the radio a bit. Only real downside is that sometimes (and it happens REALLY rarely) I can’t find a song. That only happens if it’s some obscure song…like…really obscure. The best part is, this streaming site is completely legit and legal. Anyhoo, check it out! http://www.playlist.com

  • Janet

    Have you heard of http://www.vikymusic.com and how it rates with the others?

  • Kate

    rcrdlbl.com has hooked me up with free songs every day, most from breakout artists that no one has ever heard of yet.  They also have really creative remixes that I always put on at dance parties.

    • http://indierockcafe.com Karen

      Hey Kate – You definitely have to check http://indierockcafe.com – they have hundreds of great free and legal songs that are easier to download then rcrdbl because it’s just one click, Save As and you’re done :)

  • http://indierockcafe.com karen

    This is a disappointing list – all your selections are commercial, corporate websites, you totally missed lots of excellent websites where you can listen to, and download, literally hundreds of songs, my personal favorite is Indie Rock Cafe at http://indierockcafe.com  – you gotta check it out – it’s the bomb!!!

  • http://twitter.com/ShantiKoti Shanti

    Karen is right, selected sites are very big and corporate sites. There are many good other choices these days. If you are in US then http://turntable.fm is considered the new and promising kid on the block. For international users and people using Facebook I recommend http://www.jampri.com which is awesome for social playlist collaboration.

  • http://www.allsongsby.com Vik

    Try our new mashup: http://www.allsongsby.com – YouTube music organized by artists and albums using iTunes data with auto generated playlists. You can listen to hours of free music for any popular artist and also browse full discographies for almost any artist.