The music industry is a large part of our culture today. Everyone is tuning into their favorite artists using some sort of music streaming platform.

Apple Music and Spotify are two of the most popular platforms today. These services to appeal to a variety of audiences, especially students. There are many similarities between these two platforms, yet small differences really set the two apart.

Both Spotify and Apple Music charge a monthly fee for complete use of their product. Apple Music charges $9.99 a month for a single membership and $14.99 for a family membership. Spotify also charges $9.99 a month, although they offer a students’ discount. Students pay $4.99 per month for the premium plan. This is great for all students to enjoy the full benefits of Spotify. Apple Music has yet to offer a student discount. Both companies also offer special plans for larger groups.

The music content differs slightly on each platform. Spotify has more remixes of popular songs, along with up-and-coming artists’ music. Some major artists, such as Thom Yorke, have made their music unavailable on Spotify for various reasons. Apple Music has their whole iTunes catalog available to on their streaming service.

If you’re hesitant about committing to either, Spotify offers a 30 day free trial for you to try out their premium plan. Apple Music offers a three-month trial, which is much better than Spotify’s deal. The premium plans on both services allow users to listen to their music offline and on their mobile devices as well as their computers.

Radio options are available on both. One of the great aspects of the radio system on both streaming services is that a user can tailor the radio station to their music preferences. Apple Music also has DJs broadcasting on their radio system.

As great and innovative as these companies seem, some celebrities have had trouble with their services. Most notably, Taylor Swift has had problems with both companies. In November 2014, Swift pulled her music library from Spotify over a dispute about how much artists were being paid for their streaming music.

In a “Wall Street Journal” Op-Ed, Swift said, “Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for.”

Swift also slammed Apple Music for their free three-month trial. When Apple announced their trial plan, Swift publicly criticized them for not paying the artists while the trial was underway. After Swift’s social media uproar, Apple agreed to pay artists what they deserved for this trial.

“I use Spotify on my computer often, but I have not purchased premium yet,” said sophomore Genovick Acevedo. “Now that I am aware that there is a student discount, I will probably buy it.”

This is true for many students as most students tend to lean towards a cheaper option.

Spotify has won the approval of college students. If Apple Music provides a student discount, the battle between the two could come to a draw. Students can sign up for free trials of both today online.