Audio streaming does not require as much speed as streaming videos. The current speed works well for the streaming of audios. Most often, 0.5Mbps (500 Kbps) is enough. If you decide on multiple streams, then you will require more speed. If you are using your phone to listen to music, you need to focus on the data. There are offline options, but you will need to download the songs via the internet before you can listen to them offline.
There are specific recommendations for speed for each of the streaming services. It is advisable to conduct a speed test before you stream audio. Because, this ensures that you are getting the required internet speed.
Apple Music/iTunes
The required internet speed for streaming music from Apple is a minimum of 0.256Mbps (256 Kbps).
Amazon Music Unlimited
The average bitrate used by Amazon Music is 256 Kbps. This is only the average, as the actual bitrate varies in accordance with the necessary information relay of each part of a song. There are some parts of songs, or even some songs, which are more complex and contain more of the data. Therefore, they require more speed for streaming. To be on the safer side and give you the required overhead an internet speed of 500Kbps is recommended.
Google Play Music
Google Plays uses seven types of files, including AAC, FLAC and, MP3. Google Plays lists 320 Kbps as the bitrate.
Deezer
For Deezer + Premium, the recommended speed is 0.320 Mbps (320 Kbps) and for Deezer Elite the recommended speed is 5 Mbps. And for the multiple elite streams, the recommended speed is 10 Mbps. Deezer has two tiers of service and speed with its own set of recommendations. The Deezer + uses the technology of MP3, while the Deezer Elite makes use of FLAC streams.
iHeart Radio
iHeart Business service recommends an internet speed of 150 Kbps to the minimum. This does not support ISDN or dial-up connections. As compared to businesses, residential users stream fewer songs.
Groove
The Windows Media Audio (WMA) is used by Groove Music. This audio functions on compression rates of different levels that can affect the rate of transmission. Groove recommends different speeds for different quality levels. This ranges from 64 Kbps on the lower end to 384 for the best quality.
Pandora
For the two quality tiers, Pandora recommends two speeds; the minimum speed is 150 Kbps (.150Mbps) and 300 Kbps (.300Mbps) as minimum speed for higher quality.
Your internet connection is affected by multiple factors. This includes the location of the router/modem, the number of people sharing one connection, the ISP and the internet plan chosen and more. Before conducting a speed test, it is important to ensure you exit all other applications as this can lead to inaccurate results.
With a speed test, you get the required information of the download, upload and ping and jitter speed.
