K-pop streaming services aside from Spotify
On 1st March, a disagreement between Kakao M, one of Korea’s biggest music distributors, and Spotify caused hundreds of K-pop songs to be removed from the streaming platform. This frustrated many fans when they realised that their favourite songs were gone.
The 2 companies came to an agreement on 11th March, and the missing songs were made available again. However, there is no guarantee that this won’t reoccur, so here are 6 K-pop streaming services with a large K-pop music library that you can always fall back on.
1. JOOX
Image adapted from: JOOX
JOOX is a music streaming app that has one of the most extensive K-pop music libraries out there.
Image credit: JOOX
In 2020, JOOX recognised the demand for K-pop and launched Idol Station: K-Pop Express!, a special programme where fans can watch live streams of their favourite K-pop idols and Korean music shows.
The programme has featured popular idols such as NU’EST and ONF, and broadcasted Seoul Music Awards and Mnet Asian Music Awards. It also streamed idol survival shows such as I-Land and Produce X 101.
JOOX is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play, or as a desktop app. However, JOOX is only supported in Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and South Africa.
The free version contains ads – if you’d like to remove them, you can opt to purchase JOOX VIP for approximately USD3 per month. This will give you benefits such as unlimited skips, offline listening, and better quality streaming.
2. Deezer
Image adapted from: Deezer
Deezer has a plethora of K-pop songs and a number of specially curated K-pop playlists, such as “K-Pop House Party”, “Classic K-Pop”, and “Japanese K-Pop”. Each playlist has 50 tracks.
Image credit: @deezerasia
Deezer can be downloaded for free on the App Store and Google Play, and it can also be downloaded as a desktop app.
You can purchase Deezer Premium for USD7.40 per month to listen to uninterrupted, ad-free music. If you are a student aged 18-25 years old, you can subscribe to Deezer Student, which costs USD3.70 per month.
3. TIDAL
Image adapted from: TIDAL
TIDAL is a music streaming app that has 24 playlists for K-pop, each consisting of 11 to 192 tracks.
Notable playlists include “Legendary Women of K-Pop”, “Boy Bands: K-Pop Kings”, “K-Solo: K-Pop Breakouts” and “Headphone Mix: K-Pop”.
Image adapted from: TIDAL
TIDAL prides itself on having the highest quality of music. It also supports music videos, so you can watch your favorite MVs on the app too.
You can try TIDAL for free for 30 days before signing up for the premium plan, which costs USD9.90 per month.
For audiophiles out there, you’d be pleased to know that the app has a HiFi plan that gives you access to high fidelity sound quality and immersive audio for USD19.99 per month.
Download TIDAL on your desktop, App Store and Google Play.
4. YouTube Music
Image adapted from: YouTube Music
YouTube Music is a popular music streaming app that lets users download official Korean music on YouTube to listen offline.
You can even download live performances, covers, and remixes of your favourite K-pop tracks.
YouTube Music allows you to listen to songs on devices such as your phone and desktop, as well as your smart speaker, smart TV, car, and smart watch.
There is a free trial for 1 month, after which the subscription costs USD7.40 per month.
The family plan costs USD11.15 per month and this can be shared among 6 family members. The student plan is priced at USD3.70 per month
You can download the app for free on the App Store or Google Play.
5. Apple Music
Image adapted from: Apple Music
Apple Music is a popular music-streaming app that has a huge repertoire of K-pop songs from various K-pop artists.
Image adapted from: Apple Music
There are 25 K-pop playlists available right now, including “K-Pop Workout”, “‘90s K-Pop Essentials”, and “K-Pop Throwback”.
Apple Music even has K-pop songs from more than 10 years ago. These songs are compiled in playlists such as “K-Pop Hits: 2002” and “K-Pop Hits: 2007”, making it convenient for those who would like to listen to older K-pop groups and reminisce about the past.
If you have an Apple Watch, you can download and stream K-pop songs on it when you don’t have your iPhone with you.
Apple Music isn’t only for Apple devices; it’s also available for Android users. You can download Apple Music on the App Store or Google Play. There is a free trial of 3 months, after which you will need to pay a subscription fee of USD9.90 per month.
6. Mubeat
Image adapted from: Mubeat
Mubeat has K-pop songs and videos of live performances on music shows such as Show! Music Core.
As of April 2019, Mubeat has 6,313 Korean artists that you can follow on the app.
It’s a well-organised app where all videos are categorised by albums. You can easily keep track of the live performances by your favourite K-pop groups and soloists.
You can even vote for your idols on Show! Music Core via this app – the votes account for 10% of the overall score for the 1st place winner on the music show.
Image credit: @mubeat_kpop
In 2020, Mubeat partnered with the 10th Gaon Chart Music Awards for the Global Choice Awards.
It’s an app solely for K-pop fans – there is even a fandom community where fans can interact with one another.
You can download Mubeat for free on the App Store and Google Play. Mubeat+, their premium service, allows you to stream, download, watch HD videos, and connect the app to your TV for USD4.99 per month.
Alternative K-pop streaming services to download
We hope that Kakao M and Spotify will remain on good terms and ensure that K-pop is always available on Spotify. Nevertheless, it’s always good to be prepared – these 6 K-pop streaming services are great alternatives.
Also check out:
- 9 top Masked Singer Korea performances
- 20 2nd generation K-pop groups
- 8 Korean hip-hop shows
- 10 beginner K-pop dance tips & tricks
- 15 easy Korean texting slang words
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