Jamaica’s digital music market features a wide variety of options for consumers, including digital downloads, on-demand or web radio streaming services, and online music video services.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon’s premium music streaming service unlocks millions of songs, thousands of playlists and personalized stations, which can be accessed through Alexa in the Amazon Music app and on Echo devices.
Apple Music
Not to be confused with Apple iTunes, Apple Music is the most popular music streaming platform with over 75 million users in the US and a choice of 75 million songs according to MIDiA research. However, in the Jamaican store fewer songs are available in their library.The Apple Music app allows subscribers to stream their entire catalogue from their device and has recruited some of the top music experts for their “For You” playlist curation feature. Apple Music also features Beats 1, Apple’s first ever world-wide live radio station dedicated entirely to music and music culture.
They are new to the market and have not yet tailored much of their content to reggae-dancehall culture and Jamaican life. A couple of benefits that users get from the platform while in Jamaica include time synced lyrics option, live interviews, artists performances, and you can search for music using lyrics or just ask Siri. New members get three months free.
Deezer
Deezer’s service allows users to stream unlimited music from PC/Mac computers as well as a host of mobile devices, both on-demand as well as via curated radio channels.
Google Play Music
Google Play Music offers millions of listened songs for purchase, online storage of up to 40,000 songs, and an unlimited streaming music service for $9.99 per month.
iHeartRadio
Free audio streaming service with over 200 channels of music, including all 105 of Bell Media’s terrestrial radio stations available in the app or on their website.
iTunes
Over 18 million high-quality, DRM-free songs priced at just 69¢, 99¢, or $1.29 each.
Prime Music
Amazon’s Prime Music service provides on-demand access to more than two million songs, hundreds of curated playlists, and personalized stations. Amazon’s Songs & Podcast app is free to download and comes with Amazon Music included with Prime which has 2 million songs ad-free, podcasts, radio stations, unlimited skips and handsfree use. There is also Amazon Music Unlimited which has 75 million songs, Amazon original podcasts, a 30 day free trial and ability to upgrade to Amazon HD at no extra cost. Amazon HD has remastered Ultra HD albums. You can also import your playlist from other platforms. Prime members pay $7.99 and non-prime membership pay $9.99 per month.
SiriusMX Satellite Radio
Over 100 channels of ad-free digital-quality music (plus sports, news and entertainment programming) from your Sirius device, smart phone, or computer.
This is possibly the least used streaming service in Jamaica. You can hear it mostly in stores and restaurants that want to create a North American atmosphere.
There are three paid options for SiriusXM: SiriusXM Select for $16.99 has all music, comedy, and news stations along with sports channels except Major League Baseball. SiriusXM All Access for $21.99 has everything mentioned above plus baseball and SiriusXM Mostly Music for $10.99 as the name suggests has mostly music.
There are three Jamaican music channels on SiriusXM; The Joint ran by Pat Mckay, Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio, which celebrated their one year anniversary yesterday curated by Cedella Marley, and most recently Shaggy’s weekly show Shaggy’s Yaad on SiriusXM Fly Chanell 47.
SiriusXM owns Pandora but Pandora is not yet available in Jamaica. However, users of SiriuzXM Radio can personalize their stations powered by Pandora based on the artists they love. There are over 100 ad-free stations for your lifestyle and SiriusXM is the only place to hear cutting-edge controversial content like The Howard Stern Show.
Unlike many of the new streaming platforms that use algorithms for programming, SiriusXM still relies on program directors and on-air talent to curate music and other content for your taste. The in Car option works for most cars made in the US for the last 20 years with an OEM audio system. The major drawback to using SiriusXM in Jamaica is you will need data or Wifi for it to work because it depends on Satellite coverage.
AudioMack
AudioMack is the only music streaming platform that is actively seeking to build relationships and content with Jamaican artists. AudioMack basic is free if you don’t mind the low quality in your ears but many Jamaicans seem to enjoy the platform. In 2019 their VP of Content Operations and Artist services, Brian “Z” Zisook tweeted, “So AudioMack is currently more popular than Instagram in Jamaica”.
Hardly true now but with a focus on discovering new artists and hometown heroes they have playlists suited to the Jamaican culture, and from time to time engage artists to perform on the platform. No Wifi or data plan is necessary as you can download and play music offline. AudioMack premium is the same as Apple’s student price $4.99.
Spotify
Spotify offers more than 82 million licensed songs, available on demand on mobile, tablet, and desktop players.
Spotify was the last streaming platform to enter Jamaica only last year. Unlike Apple Music, they are a music and podcast one-stop app. They have exclusive deals with some of the top podcasters such as Joe Rogen, Barack Obama and you are sure to find many local podcasters such as as Tami Chin and Debbie Bissoon and World Music Views. Spotify expanded into the territory as one of the leading forces in exclusive audio content.
They empower users to create playlists that often inform the algorithms based on the country you are in and listening patterns. There is an ad version and a premium version. The convenience differs with cost and with Spotify Premium you can listen offline and play on any device. There is also better sound quality.
TIDAL
TIDAL is a high fidelity, lossless music streaming service with 80 million tracks, 35,000 high quality music videos, and expert editorial from experienced music journalists.
Vevo
Streaming music videos available via VEVO.com, Mobile Apps such as iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android, Windows Phone 7, BlackBerry Playbook, and Connected Televisions using Xbox or Boxee devices.
YouTube
Youtube edges out all other platforms to account for the most streams in the island. It checks all the boxes for Jamaicans in terms of user-friendly and accessibility. YouTube is the second most popular website in Jamaica and music is one of the more popular reasons people log on to the site.
If you go to any hairdresser, barbershop, hotel or convenience store chances are they will have YouTube music videos on their screens as the entertainment. The site offers audio-visual as well as visual audio content. Chances are you already know most of the benefits of streaming music on YouTube but many of you may not know that YouTube offers weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly analytics for artists and detail how they are performing in each parish and country. It has been a game-changer for the Jamaican music industry since they began to focus on music. In the last year, more Jamaican artists streamed more than ten million times on YouTube than any other streaming service. There are YouTube channels that offer paid monthly membership if you wish to support an artist’s work. Users can get exclusive perks and become part of an artist’s listening and sharing community. The only drawback for YouTube in Jamaica is there is no YouTube Music app that allows for music downloads and closed screen access.
D’Music
This platform is by local telecoms company Digicel. They have a library of over 40 million songs to choose from. Dark mode, offline streaming with no advertisements. You can play and skip without limits from a locked screen. The one drawback especially for visitors and those not on the network is you have to become a Digicel customer to access the service.