Illustration by: Billboard
When you thought music streaming could’t get any more popular – it did. Music streaming services eagerly continue to facilitate access to countless music libraries.The vast availability of songs as well as good streaming speeds offered by reputable channels, has seen the music streaming service become one of the most widely used online services in today’s world.
Although there are several music streaming channels available online, here are some of the most popular ones worldwide. They differ in library size, pricing and availability.
| Name | Countries Available In | No. of Songs | Pricing |
| Pandora | U.S, Australia and New Zealand | 1.5 Million | 0$ Base Price |
| Spotify | 60 countries | 30 Million | 0$ Base Price |
| Last.fm | US, UK, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil | 24 Mill. | 0$ Base Price |
| Rhapsody | 32 Countries | 32 Million | 9.99$ Base Price |
| Slacker | USA and Canada | 13 Million | 9.99$ Base Price |
| Rdio | 85 countries | 35 Million | 0$ Base Price |
| Deezer | 150+ countries | 35 Million | 7.99 Base Price |
| iTunes Radio | 100+ Countries | 43 Million | 2.03$ Base Price |
| Google Play Music | 58 Countries | 30 Million | 9.99$ Base Price |
| TuneIn Radio | 25+ Countries | n/a | 0$ Base Price |
| IHeart Radio | US, Australia, New Zealand | 18 Million | 0$ Base Price |
Music streaming channels bring the world of music to their users. However, there is one small problem. Most streaming channels are not available in all parts of the world. It is similar to how services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer are restricted for access only in certain countries. Music streaming channels also have the problem of geo-restriction. Geo-restricted content is any content that is available only in countries that the service chooses to make it available in. Trying to access that content from anywhere outside that coverage area leads to the denial of the service with an error message.
Geo-restricted services do not allow users to access their data by finding their location from their IP address. If the user is found to be using the service from outside the coverage region, they are not granted access. If you want to get past this check, you need to appear to be accessing the website from a country where the service is available. Using a VPN can help you do so with no problem.
VPNs connect you to the internet through one of their servers, forming an encrypted tunnel between the server and your system. Your true IP address is hidden from all onlookers as the IP address of the VPN server appears to be your IP address. So, in order to access geo-restricted music streaming channels, all you need to do is connect to a server located in the country where that service is available.
Just browse the server list of the VPN you use and choose one that fits your need. After connecting to a server in that location you will appear to be accessing the service from that country and will be granted access. VPN like NordVPN can be quite helpful for you since it has great global coverage and offer high-speed connections, both of which are required for streaming music.
Most of the best music streaming channels are usually available only in select countries. VPNs help you overcome that barrier. Using a VPN you can change your IP address and appear to be using the internet from a location of your choice, which can be helpful to stream music online.