14 DAY TRIAL // Eventually, music is bound to move online completely, no matter what the labels think about that, so a lot of companies are competing for what could finally become a very huge market. The problem is that, today, there isn't that much money being made from it, but this doesn't seem to deter that many. Music streaming is picking up Steam in a big way and, surprisingly perhaps, it's Europe that is seeing some of the most interesting players. Though not as hyped as Spotify, Deezer has been around for a few years as a free music-streaming site, but is now moving forward in a big way with paid subscriptions, which come with a dedicated desktop app and mobile ones for the most popular platforms.
Deezer now offers streaming music on its website from a variety of licensed artists, though the selection seems a little smaller than Spotify's. The service is free and it allows users to listen to the songs or discover new ones, as well as manage the ones they like with playlists. The site will remain free for anyone, but Deezer is moving with some interesting, new features only available for paying customers.
There are two offerings at the moment, the lower tier one Deezer HQ for €4.99 per month and the Premium option for €9.99. Deezer HQ, similar to Grooveshark's VIP option, removes all of the advertising from the site and also allows users to listen to the songs in higher quality all the way up to 320 kbps. This is a welcomed improvement over the basic service, but the really interesting stuff comes with the more expensive option.
With Deezer Premium, users will not only get rid of the ads and a better quality streaming, but they will also have access to the new desktop applications that just launched. It's built on the Adobe AIR platform, the same as Spotify, and it still has a couple of bugs that need to be ironed out, but it's a move in the right direction. However, along with the desktop app, Premium subscribers will also be able to use one of the mobile apps that are available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices, and others. The new subscription services also come with a seven-day trial period, so there's nothing stopping you from giving them a try.