what does my upload speed need to be to stream
How Much Speed Do I Need to Stream Music?
Know the internet speed y'all need for the online music services you dearest most.
Jan 18, 2022 Share
FAQ, Internet Speed Guides, Streaming Guides
You don't need a lot of speed to stream music from the internet. You'll sip just half of a megabit per second from most music streaming services like iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Pandora. Any internet plan with speeds of 10 Mbps or more tin can stream average quality music.
Some music streaming services like Apple Music and Tidal offer high-definition "lossless" audio, still. These streams can reach just over 9 megabits per second (Mbps). You'll demand an cyberspace plan that's at to the lowest degree 20 Mbps to handle these streams.
To see how much speed you lot need to stream music from your favorite service, just select information technology below.
Spotify | YouTube Music | Pandora | Amazon Music | Apple Music | iHeartRadio | SoundCloud | Tidal | Deezer | SiriusXM | TuneIn Radio | LiveXLive | Idagio | Primephonic
Withal, before you swoop in, we suggest you take our internet speed examination to encounter where your connection currently stands so you tin can compare it to the music streaming requirements. Do you plan to stream video too? Be sure to use our How Much Speed Do I Need tool to determine what you need for different services.
How much speed do y'all need to stream music?
The corporeality of internet speed yous need per music stream depends on the quality. The lowest streaming charge per unit is around 32 kilobits per second (Kbps)—a low-quality stream like talk radio—while the highest is around ix,216 Kbps (9.126 Mbps).
A good rule of thumb is to double those numbers for each stream, so your music has plenty of animate room. For example, if your sound stream is 9,216 Kbps, a speed of 18,432 Kbps (18.43 Mbps) should be more than sufficient.
Music streaming speed requirements at a glance
Here's a full general list of internet speed requirements for Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, and more than.
Do you have the best connection to stream music?
While music doesn't crave a lot of bandwidth to stream, yous'll need only over 18 Mbps in speed to get the highest quality audio stream bachelor. Enter your nix lawmaking below to find out what'southward available in your area.
Music streaming data requirements
Here we will break downwards the bitrates and recommended speed requirements based on quality or tier for each music streaming service. We'll also provide more detail in regards to sample rates and bit depth for curious audiophiles.
How much data does Spotify use?
If you lot stream Spotify from a browser , the Free business relationship is locked to 128 Kbps AAC audio and the Premium business relationship remains at 256 Kbps AAC.
Nevertheless, if you're using Spotify'southward desktop software, a tablet, or a smartphone, you'll run across Low (24 Kbps), Normal (98 Kbps), and High (160 Kbps) quality options with the Free and Premium accounts. The Premium program adds a Very High setting (320 Kbps). Both plans have an Automated setting that adjusts the bitrate according to your connection.
How much data does YouTube Music apply?
YouTube Music uses the AAC format to stream music, just the maximum bitrate is lower than other services. The "e'er high" setting maintains the 256 Kbps bitrate even when the connection is poor. YouTube Music does non offer lossless audio.
Looking for Google Play Music?
Google shut down Play Music in 2020, and then your music is at present bachelor on YouTube Music. ane
How much data does Pandora apply?
The sound quality ranges from 64 Kbps AAC+ to 192 Kbps when listening through a web browser. The Free and Plus plans range from 24 Kbps to 64 Kbps on mobile (Android, iOS, iPadOS) while the Premium subscription jumps up to 192 Kbps on the same devices. If you have a Sonos or similar device, the stream will always be 128 Kbps no matter what plan you have.
How much data does Amazon Music utilize?
Amazon'south Hard disk quality tier streams 16-fleck songs with a 44.one kHz sample rate at 850 Kbps. The Ultra HD tier streams 24-fleck songs with sample rates ranging between 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz at three,730 Kbps average. Both "Hd" tiers utilize lossless compression to preserve the fidelity of the original analog recording.
How much data does Apple Music utilise?
Similar Amazon, Apple provides ii high-quality tiers that utilize lossless pinch. Apple relies on its proprietary ALAC codec to stream sixteen-bit (44.1 kHz) and 24-bit (48 kHz) audio. The High-Resolution Lossless tier streams 24-bit music with sample rates up to 192 kHz.
How much data does iHeartRadio utilize?
iHeartRadio'due south maximum bitrate is 128 Kbps. That equals 58 MB per 60 minutes, which isn't bad if y'all're streaming using your mobile carrier'southward information plan.
How much data does SoundCloud Become use?
The SoundCloud Get+ High Quality tier streams at 256 Kbps but sounds like MP3 audio encoded for 320 Kbps due to the ACC format. Meanwhile, the standard 64 Kbps stream uses the Opus format, so the music sounds like MP3 audio encoded for 128 Kbps.
How much data does Tidal use?
The Standard tier uses the AAC format to stream at 320 Kbps, while the HiFi tier uses the FLAC format to stream lossless 16-fleck audio (44.one kHz) at ane,411 Kbps. Tidal's Main tier uses MQA technology and typically streams 24-bit audio with a 96 kHz sample rate but tin can reach upwardly to 24-scrap/192 kHz streams.
How much information does Deezer use?
Deezer's commencement three tiers rely on the MP3 format, while the HiFi tier uses FLAC (lossless). The Deezer Free account provides Basic and Standard audio quality while the Pupil, Premium, Family unit, and HiFi plans add the High Quality audio tier. Deezer HiFi and Deezer Family unit HiFi are the simply plans with lossless audio.
How much data does SiriusXM utilize?
If you listen to SiriusXM satellite radio on the internet, the bitrate is much lower than what you get when listening from a compatible automobile radio. Streams utilise the AAC codec, which ways music sounds like MP3 audio encoded for 128 Kbps fifty-fifty though the stream is 64 Kbps. In improver, SiriusXM uses " variable bitrates " that modify based on your connection.
How much data does TuneIn Radio employ?
The bitrate depends on the broadcast. For instance, a local radio station may transmit in 64 Kbps AAC or 64 Kbps MP3 sound simply—you tin manually switch betwixt the 2 streams. Another radio station may stream in 128 Kbps MP3 merely while another station is locked to 32 Kbps AAC.
How much data does LiveXLive use?
The bitrate of songs played through LiveXLive depends on the platform and subscription . If you're listening through a browser, y'all tin can prepare the quality to 128 Kbps or 320 Kbps. On mobile devices, you have an extra quality setting of 64 Kbps, presumably offered for those who listen using a cellular connection. LiveXLive acquired Slacker Radio in 2017.
How much data does Idagio use?
Idagio's gratuitous programme streams music at Normal quality, but the bitrate and format depend on the platform . The Premium plan supports both Normal and High quality tiers, while the Premium+ plan supports all three quality levels.
How much data does Primephonic use?
The Premium plan streams music in the MP3 format at 320 Kbps. The Platinum plan streams lossless FLAC music up to 24-bit songs with sample rates ranging from 44.i kHz to 192 kHz . Primephonic does not offering a free option.
FAQ about streaming music
What is bitrate?
A bitrate is how many bits are transferred in a set corporeality of time. In this instance, the charge per unit depends on how many bits yous download each 2nd. A college bitrate translates to more than received bits each second, leading to clearer, richer sound.
- 1 Kbps = 1 thousand bits per 2nd
- 1 Mbps = 1 meg bits per second
- 1 Gbps = 1 billion bits per 2nd
What is an audio codec?
An audio codec is software that compresses a raw digital recording for downloading or for streaming. The algorithm removes data that information technology determines as unnecessary to reduce the file size while maintaining the song's quality. Codecs typically compress songs based on a target bitrate, like 128 Kbps.
What is a sample rate?
A sample rate is the number of samples taken from analog audio when creating a digital sound file. College samples produce better audio quality but larger files. This number is usually measured in kiloHertz (kHz).
For example, an audio track on a CD typically has a sample rate of 44.1kHz. That ways the digital recorder sampled the analog audio 44,100 times per second—one kiloHertz equals 1,000 samples per second. Higher samples produce better audio quality but larger files.
What is lossless?
Lossless means there is no loss of audio quality. This form of audio compression preserves the quality of the original raw digital recording.
Traditional "lossy" compression focuses on file size and how that size is transmitted over the internet. The trouble with this method is that you tin can lose some information, lowering the song's overall quality.
For case, an MP3 file compressed for a 128 Kbps bitrate isn't exactly CD quality. The algorithm discards data it deems as unnecessary, lowering the overall quality. Plus, the compressed song cannot be restored to its original form.
Lossless compression is different. It rewrites the digital audio file so that it'due south more than efficient structurally and smaller in size. It keeps the "unnecessary" data typically discarded past lossy compression to keep the audio quality intact. This pinch method leads to larger bitrates than standard streams.
Apple provides its own lossless codec—Apple tree Lossless Sound Codec(ALAC)—while other services employ Gratuitous Lossless Sound Codec (FLAC).
How is audio resolution measured?
Sound resolution (or depth) is measured in bits. Higher scrap counts provide more than audio.
For instance, an audio track on a CD has a sample charge per unit of 44.1kHz at sixteen bits per sample. A vocal with a higher 24-bit depth stored on a DVD or a Blu-ray disc produces more sound without distortion. Some services like Amazon Music tin stream music at a 24-bit/192 kHz rate for extremely rich, "ultra HD" sound.
Streaming vs. downloading music: What'southward the divergence?
The short answer is that downloaded songs are saved locally on your device while streamed songs are not.
A longer explanation is that digital sound in its raw form is huge. Songs are compressed using an sound codec—similar MP3 and AAC—to conserve infinite on your device and make them easy to transfer across the internet. How information technology's encoded depends on if y'all are streaming or downloading.
For streaming, the song is encoded in a manner so that it's transmitted across the internet without using large amounts of bandwidth. The app on your device decodes the file, temporarily stores the unpacked $.25 of music in memory as they're received, so deletes these bits when they're converted into the analog audio waves that you hear.
Many music streaming services support offline listening, like Amazon Music Unlimited and Spotify. That means when y'all download songs, they're placed onto your device'southward storage as cache and cannot be exported for listening in other apps. Yous must accept a subscription to hear these songs in offline mode.
If you buy music from services like Tidal or Walmart, you can download the songs directly to any device for playback using whatever compatible app. These songs are not stored as cache and are encoded in a way so the downloads aren't massive.
What are some of the popular sound formats?
Apple Lossless Audio Code (ALAC)
Apple developed its ain format for lossless sound pinch in 2004. Information technology became open up-source and gratuitous to use in 2011. Apple devices natively support ALAC files, while support for FLAC audio didn't announced until iOS xi.
Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)
This lossy format appeared in 1997 and is the successor to the popular MP3 format. Information technology provides better audio quality while retaining the same file size. File extensions include m4a, m4b, m4p, m4v, m4r, 3gp, mp4, and aac.
Free Lossless Sound Codec (FLAC)
This format emerged in 2001 to compress raw digital audio by around sixty% without losing any data. It'due south a widely used format because it's open source and costless to employ.
MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (MP3)
This lossy format emerged in 1994 and became the most pop method of compressing raw digital audio for like shooting fish in a barrel downloads. The format skyrocketed with the launch of Apple's first iPod.
Waveform Audio File (WAV)
This file type contains uncompressed audio in the Pulse-Lawmaking Modulation (PCM) format, the digital version of pure analog audio signals. As a result, WAV files are almost always larger than MP3 and AAC files.
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Author - Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish has more than a decade of experience working as a writer, editor, and production tester. He began writing about computer hardware and soon branched out to other devices and services such as networking equipment, phones and tablets, game consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom'south Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Dominance, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others. At HighSpeedInternet.com, he focuses on cyberspace security.
Editor - Cara Haynes
Cara Haynes has been editing and writing in the digital space for seven years, and she's edited all things internet for HighSpeedInternet.com for five years. She graduated with a BA in English language and a pocket-sized in editing from Brigham Immature University. When she'south not editing, she makes tech accessible through her freelance writing for brands like Pluralsight. She believes no i should feel lost in net land and that a expert internet connection significantly extends your life bridge.
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