Mitchell Hageman recently conducted a weeklong trial replacing his paid Spotify Premium subscription with various free music streaming services to evaluate their viability as alternatives. Spotify, which boasts over 750 million active users worldwide and offers ad-supported free access to nearly 500 million listeners, has faced criticism from New Zealand artists such as Tiki Taane and The Bats. These artists have denounced the platform for its low pay rates, estimating that each stream generates only about 1/20th of one New Zealand cent, and have accused the service of exploiting musicians by failing to return sufficient revenue.
Faced with ethical concerns and rising costs—Spotify’s premium subscription increased by nearly $6 over three years—Hageman sought to assess how well free streaming platforms could meet his music and podcast needs.
His week began with iHeart Radio, which offers live radio, podcasts, curated playlists, and news content in New Zealand through NZME’s exclusive licensing. Hageman praised its variety and user-friendly interface, noting access to both popular local radio station broadcasts and exclusive podcasts. He rated content and usability both at 4 out of 5, highlighting its appeal to listeners who value diverse playlists and radio programming.
On the second day, Hageman explored SoundCloud, an online audio distribution platform known for featuring independent and lesser-known artists. While the service offered some musical discoveries, including electronic artist Ken Ate My Homework, its interface was criticized for being visually cluttered and difficult to navigate. Additionally, users encountered frequent audio and visual advertisements. Although SoundCloud has a smaller selection of mainstream podcasts, it provides academic and news-related content, which Hageman found useful. He gave it a content rating of 3 out of 5 and usability at 2.5 out of 5.
YouTube emerged as one of Hageman’s preferred free alternatives, despite its frequent advertisements. The platform’s vast music catalog—paired with music videos—provided a nostalgic listening experience reminiscent of earlier music television eras. Its interface was described as crisp and easy to use, suitable for background listening in office settings. Hageman commended the platform’s ability to display podcasters during episodes, increasing listener engagement. YouTube earned ratings of 4.5 for content and 5 for usability.
The fourth day featured Jango, a lesser-known service that allows users to customize stations based on song preferences. While it offered a solid selection of 1970s and 1980s hits and the advantage of ad-free listening, the platform’s interface was deemed cluttered, and its lack of podcast options was a drawback. Hageman rated content at 2 out of 5 and usability at 2.5.
Finally, Hageman tried Rova, which streams popular New Zealand radio stations such as The Edge, More FM, and George FM. He appreciated the platform’s curated playlists and podcasts, particularly within drum and bass and rock genres. The availability of locally produced content and music journalism added a human element that distinguished it from algorithm-driven services. Rova received 4 out of 5 in both content and usability ratings.
Overall, Hageman found that while no single free service fully matched the flexible, ad-free, and extensive offerings of Spotify Premium, several platforms collectively provided approximately 80% of his usual streaming experience. The trial encouraged him to explore new artists and podcasts, suggesting that consumers seeking to reduce costs or address ethical concerns about artist compensation have viable, if imperfect, free options to consider.