We've
come a long way! From good ol' cassettes to burning playlists on CDs to
music on iPods and now, we've really arrived in the digital age with
music streaming. (I swear I'm not that old)
Seriously though, I honestly can't remember the last time I downloaded a song! I haven't found the need to - I usually listen to the radio in the car so I can hear some new tracks and when I'm on my laptop, I stream music on Youtube which is quite the pain but I've powered through. I survived and thrived on Spotify when I was living in NYC but unfortunately, it does not work in this region unless you have a Premium subscription.
BUT just recently, I discovered Deezer and I'm a happy camper once again! Deezer is a music streaming service available (yes, legally available) in the UAE (and other countries)! I've been using the service for about two weeks now and have to say - it's pretty great.
So here's the lowdown - I'm currently on the free plan which means ads and being able to play them on only one platform at a time, both of which are no biggie IMO. They do also have a paid Premium+ version ($9.99/month) which has no ads, unlimited plays across platforms and being able to access your music offline as well. It's available on web, PC/Mac, iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry.
They have some cool features like 'Flow' which suggests music based on your current favorites and 'Mixes' which are genre based playlists. You can also make your little playlists and here's my favorite part - you can choose to have people collaborate on your playlists! Fun right? I was even able to import my Spotify playlists quite easily using this website!
Seriously though, I honestly can't remember the last time I downloaded a song! I haven't found the need to - I usually listen to the radio in the car so I can hear some new tracks and when I'm on my laptop, I stream music on Youtube which is quite the pain but I've powered through. I survived and thrived on Spotify when I was living in NYC but unfortunately, it does not work in this region unless you have a Premium subscription.
BUT just recently, I discovered Deezer and I'm a happy camper once again! Deezer is a music streaming service available (yes, legally available) in the UAE (and other countries)! I've been using the service for about two weeks now and have to say - it's pretty great.
So here's the lowdown - I'm currently on the free plan which means ads and being able to play them on only one platform at a time, both of which are no biggie IMO. They do also have a paid Premium+ version ($9.99/month) which has no ads, unlimited plays across platforms and being able to access your music offline as well. It's available on web, PC/Mac, iOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry.
They have some cool features like 'Flow' which suggests music based on your current favorites and 'Mixes' which are genre based playlists. You can also make your little playlists and here's my favorite part - you can choose to have people collaborate on your playlists! Fun right? I was even able to import my Spotify playlists quite easily using this website!
The library is quite impressive - I've been able to find all of the music that I listen to including the Bollywood tracks even. The interface is also quite easy to use which is definitely a bonus. So, I completely recommend giving Deezer a go if you're looking for a music streaming option - it's very similar to Spotify if you've used them before.
Here's a little summer playlist of songs I've had on loop for the last few weeks, you'll get a 30-sec preview if you're a not a Deezer member.
What are some of your favorite tracks right now? Let me know in the comments below! :)
Mona xo