When Paying $10 a Month to Stream Music Doesn’t Pay

For many music lovers, the past few months have been a revelation. In February, Kanye West gave us The Life of Pablo, which the mercurial rapper initially unveiled at a fashion show, changing lyrics and shuffling guest stars up until the final hour. In late April, Beyoncé brought out Lemonade, a sonic flowchart of her marital difficulties with husband Jay Z. Several weeks later, Radiohead released A Moon Shaped Pool, a collection of gorgeous melodies, symphonic backdrops, and nihilistic lyrics. All three albums materialized with virtually no warning, making their arrivals that much more conversation-worthy.

But if you subscribe to Spotify, you may have felt as if you were missing out. None of these albums were available on the streaming service in the first weeks after their release, and Apple Music users could stream Pool only in its entirety. You could sign up for a trial subscription on Tidal, the struggling music service Jay Z owns, which had all three albums on the days of their debuts. (No surprise: Beyoncé and West are part owners.) It was a lot of trouble to go through, though, especially if you planned to cancel before your trial period ended so you wouldn’t have to pay for Tidal on top of what you already owe Spotify or Apple.