Bloom.fm: new cheaper rival to Spotify
Bloom.fm is a new on-demand music streaming service. We take a look at how it stands out against the competition.
Bloom.fm is a new on-demand online music streaming service that is set to rival the likes of Spotify and Rdio.
It was launched at the beginning of this year via an iPhone app and has managed to gather 250,000 users so far. But that number is set to multiply with the launch of its new Android app this month.
Bloom allows access to over 200 genres of radio, on-demand streaming, the ability to integrate other music libraries and a borrow-return system for off-line listening.
But in an increasingly overcrowded space, where even the big players struggle to get people to pay for music subscriptions, how will Bloom stand out from the crowd?
How it works
Currently Bloom is only available for smartphone users via an app, which you can download for free from the Apple App store or the Google Play store.
The most basic version of Bloom is free to listen to with adverts and works like an online radio similar to Last.fm.
But Bloom also operates using a unique ‘borrow, enjoy, return’ format, which it charges for.
'Borrowing' a track means you save it to your phone and it can be played without an internet connection. The borrowed tracks stay on your phone until you decide to return/swap them or your subscription ends.
Subscription costs
There are four tiers of membership with Bloom.
Bloom Zero is free and you can get access to hundreds of streaming radios, which play random tracks based on the genre of music you choose. Listening to music on this service will include ads.
To start ‘borrowing’ or downloading songs to your phone you will need to subscribe to one of the paid-for services.
Bloom 20 is the cheapest and costs just £1 a month. It allows you to ‘borrow’ up to 20 tracks at a time. When you want to refresh your playlist you can return the tracks you’re bored with and swap them for new ones, which you can do as often as you want. This level of membership comes with online radio and is ad-free, but you won't be able to stream unlimited amounts of music.
Bloom 200 is the next level up and costs £5 a month. This subscription tier is the same as Bloom 20 but allows you to borrow 200 tracks; ten times more for only a £4 increase in cost.
Finally, Full Bloom allows you to download unlimited tracks for £10 a month. It's ad-free, comes with the online radio but also allows unlimited streaming too.
It's worth noting that subscriptions are more expensive if you buy through Apple or Google as they add extra charges. So going direct to the Bloom website will get you the best price of either £1, £5 or £10.
How it compares
On-demand music streaming has exploded over the last few years.
Competition is fierce as pioneers Spotify and Rdio attempt to fend off threats from Xbox Music, Sony Music Unlimited, Google Play Music and Apple’s soon to be released iTunes Radio.
So how does Bloom stack up against the competition?
An important factor for any potential convert is the size and quality of the music library.
Bloom says it has over 22 million tracks, which is two million more than what Spotify and Rdio has on offer, so it won’t struggle to keep up with your music demands.
When it comes to sound quality it’s just as good as the big players. Super High Quality Audio (320Kbps MP3) is available for all paying subscribers starting at £1 with Bloom 20.
Bloom looks as good as it sounds too. The interface is bright yellow, with big flower or honeycomb wheels that make it easy to navigate options. Searching for artists and creating playlists are a breeze too, though the animations of little bees can make it seem a bit childish.
But the main pull which Bloom has over its competitors is the price.
Most existing on-demand music services tend to follow the same £5 or £10 pricing patterns, with the most expensive tier offering off-line tracks on your mobile or tablet without adverts.
But Bloom has made off-line music on a mobile its minimum subscription rather than a premium one.
So Bloom is the cheapest service for getting music advert-free on your mobile off-line. Last.fm is perhaps the closest competitor, charging £3 to stream its radio service on your phone without ads, but you don't get to choose the tracks and you can't use the service off-line.
With Bloom users can get off-line tracks from just £1; that’s just £12 a year – a whopping £108 cheaper than comparable services from the likes of Spotify. However the catch is you won’t be able to stream tracks on Bloom unless you go for the £10 subscription. Instead you get a 30-second clip of music to give you an idea of what you might want for your 20 or 200 tracks.
Verdict
I think Bloom will appeal to people that don’t want to pay through the nose for a subscription service.
£1 might just be the right price to sway those that think subscriptions are too unaffordable.
I pay £10 a month for Spotify Premium because I want tracks available to listen to off-line on the go. Given my listening habits I proabably wouldn't be able to go for the cheapest £1 Bloom 20 option, as I have a playlist of about 90 songs as well as five new albums lined up to have a listen to. But Bloom 200 could probably suit my needs and that's still half the price of what I pay for Spotify.
With its flexible and cheaper services for mobile users, Bloom might have a chance of avoiding Rdio and Spotify’s current predicament, where many of its users are apathetic towards upgrading to a paid subscription.
The ratio of paying subscribers to active free users on Spotify, for example, is just over 20%. Considering it has 24 million active users that's a lot of people that aren't prepared to pay for their music.
But Bloom has an epic task if it wants to convert people onto its service. It has 250,000 users so far and is only available in the UK. Accessibility is also limited. Smartphone users with access to the Apple App store and Google Play store can start using the app, but those that might want to use a desktop or laptop will have to wait for the web app which is under development. However, Bloom says it will work on the same pricing structure; which means access to off-line music from £1 a month on your computer too.
For more read: Cheap and free ways to listen to music online.
Is £1 affordable enough to tempt you into trying Bloom.fm? Let us know what you think in the Comment box below.
More on saving money:
The cheapest places to buy music online
Where to find the cheapest deals on tablets
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