Ethical Spotify Alternatives: Where to Stream Instead
Some listeners are leaving Spotify over how it pays artists and over its CEO's investments. Several bands, including King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, pulled their music in protest of those ties to military investments (SAN). If that matters to you, here are the options, from most to least direct support for artists.
Buy music on Bandcamp
Buying downloads or vinyl sends most of the money straight to the artist or label. It isn't a streaming subscription, but many people pair it with one below.
Qobuz
A French company focused on hi-res audio, with editorial reviews and a download store alongside streaming.
Tidal
Pays artists a higher per-stream rate than Spotify and includes hi-res on every plan. Duetti's analysis of 2024 royalties for independent artists estimated about $6.80 per 1,000 streams on Tidal and $3.00 on Spotify (Duetti). Treat that as an estimate: no service pays a fixed rate per stream, and Spotify disputes the report (Music Ally).
Deezer
Deezer has worked with labels on an "artist-centric" payment model that gives extra weight to established artists and to songs listeners actively search for (Deezer).
Apple Music
Not an indie company, but it pays out on a per-stream basis and has no free tier supported by ads.
Taking your playlists with you
Pick where your music is going.