Deezer

Deezer is one of Europe's original music streaming platforms, founded in Paris, France in 2007 - a year before Spotify launched. With a catalogue of over 90 million tracks, lossless FLAC audio quality, and availability in over 180 countries, Deezer has established itself as a serious competitor in the global streaming market. As a publicly traded French company listed on Euronext Paris, Deezer represents a genuinely European alternative to the US-dominated streaming landscape of Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

A Pioneer of European Music Streaming

Deezer's history dates back to 2006 when it was originally conceived as a music blog called Blogmusik by Daniel Marhely. After facing legal challenges, it relaunched as Deezer in 2007 and became one of the first legal streaming services in the world. The platform secured licensing deals with major and independent labels early on, giving it a strong foundation. In 2022, Deezer went public through a SPAC merger, listing on the Euronext Paris exchange and solidifying its position as a major European tech company.

Being headquartered in Paris means Deezer operates under French and European Union data protection regulations, including GDPR. The company's European identity is not just a label but is reflected in its approach to artist compensation, data handling, and cultural diversity. Deezer has been a vocal advocate for fairer streaming economics, proposing and implementing alternative royalty distribution models that benefit a broader range of artists.

Music Catalogue and Audio Quality

Deezer's library encompasses over 90 million tracks across virtually every genre, from mainstream pop to niche sub-genres and regional music from around the world. The platform has particularly strong coverage of French, African, Middle Eastern, and European music that may be less well-represented on US-centric platforms. Users can explore music through genres, moods, editorial playlists, and a comprehensive search system.

For audiophiles, Deezer offers FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) quality streaming at up to 16-bit/44.1 kHz through its Premium plan - the same quality as a CD. This lossless audio option sets Deezer apart from Spotify, which still limits its highest quality to 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis lossy compression. Deezer also supports 360 Reality Audio on compatible devices, providing an immersive spatial audio experience for select tracks.

Flow: Personalized Music Discovery

Deezer's signature feature is Flow, an intelligent music recommendation engine that creates an endless, personalized stream of music based on your listening history, favorite tracks, and taste profile. Flow mixes tracks you already love with new discoveries, making it an effortless way to find new music. Unlike algorithm-driven playlists that can feel repetitive, Flow aims to maintain a balance between familiarity and discovery.

Users can influence Flow by liking or disliking tracks as they play, fine-tuning the algorithm to their preferences over time. The more you use Deezer, the better Flow becomes at predicting what you want to hear. Deezer also offers curated playlists from its editorial team, genre-based radio stations, and artist-specific mixes that complement the algorithmic discovery engine.

Lyrics and SongCatcher

Deezer integrates synchronized lyrics for millions of tracks, displaying words in time with the music. This feature, powered by Musixmatch, makes Deezer popular with users who want to sing along or learn song lyrics. The lyrics display is smooth and well-implemented across both mobile and desktop applications.

SongCatcher is Deezer's music identification feature, similar to Shazam. Users can identify songs playing in their environment by activating SongCatcher, which listens to the audio and matches it against Deezer's database. It can even identify songs from humming or singing, making it a useful tool for those moments when you hear a song but cannot remember its name.

Podcasts and Radio

Deezer has expanded beyond music to include a comprehensive podcasts library, featuring content in multiple languages from creators worldwide. The podcast integration is built directly into the app, allowing users to switch between music and podcasts seamlessly. Deezer offers podcast recommendations based on listening habits, and users can subscribe to shows and receive notifications for new episodes.

The platform also features live radio integration, allowing users to stream radio stations from around the world alongside their on-demand music and podcast content. This combination of on-demand and live content makes Deezer a one-stop audio entertainment platform. The radio feature is particularly valuable for users who enjoy discovering music through curated broadcast programming.

Artist-Centric Royalty Model (UCPS)

In 2023, Deezer introduced the User-Centric Payment System (UCPS) in partnership with Universal Music Group, fundamentally changing how streaming royalties are distributed. Under the traditional pro-rata model used by most platforms, royalties are pooled and distributed based on total stream counts, which disproportionately benefits the most-streamed artists. Under Deezer's UCPS, each subscriber's payment goes directly to the artists they actually listen to.

This approach is more equitable for mid-tier and niche artists, who receive a fairer share of revenue from their actual listeners. Deezer has also implemented measures to combat artificial streaming and bot plays, ensuring that royalties flow to genuine artists rather than fraudulent accounts. This commitment to fairer artist compensation is a distinguishing ethical factor that sets Deezer apart from competitors.

Cross-Platform Availability

Deezer is available on virtually every platform, including iOS, Android, web browsers, Windows, macOS, smart speakers (Sonos, Amazon Echo, Google Home), smart TVs, gaming consoles, car systems (Apple CarPlay, Android Auto), and wearables (Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch). The app experience is consistent across platforms, with offline download capability on mobile devices for Premium subscribers.

The desktop application offers a clean, well-organized interface with easy navigation between your library, playlists, recommendations, and search. Deezer Connect allows you to control playback on one device from another, similar to Spotify Connect. The web player provides full functionality without requiring any software installation, making it accessible on any computer with a browser.

Family and Student Plans

Deezer offers a Family plan that supports up to six profiles under a single subscription, each with their own personalized recommendations, playlists, and Flow. The Family plan includes a Deezer Kids feature that provides a safe, curated music environment for children with age-appropriate content and no explicit material. Each family member gets their own login credentials and independent listening history.

Student plans are available at a discounted rate for eligible students, providing full Premium access at roughly half the standard price. Deezer verifies student status through partnerships with student verification services. These tiered pricing options make Deezer competitive with Spotify and Apple Music for households and students on a budget.

Pricing and Subscription Tiers

Deezer offers a free tier with ad-supported streaming at standard audio quality and limited skips. Deezer Premium, priced at 11.99 euros per month, provides ad-free listening, offline downloads, FLAC lossless audio, and unlimited skips. The Family plan costs 17.99 euros per month for up to six profiles. The Student plan is available at 5.99 euros per month. Deezer also offers an annual subscription option with a discount.

Compared to Spotify Premium at 10.99 euros per month, Deezer is slightly more expensive at the individual level but includes lossless audio at no extra cost - something Spotify has promised but not yet delivered. For users who value audio quality, this makes Deezer a better value proposition overall.

GDPR Compliance and European Values

As a French company operating under EU jurisdiction, Deezer is fully GDPR compliant. The company provides transparent data handling policies, allows users to download their personal data, and offers clear opt-out mechanisms for personalization and marketing. Deezer stores user data on European servers and processes it in accordance with EU data protection standards.

Deezer's commitment to European values extends beyond data protection. The company actively promotes cultural diversity in its catalogue, supports European music initiatives, and has been involved in policy discussions around fair digital markets and artist compensation. For users who want to support a European technology company while enjoying world-class music streaming, Deezer is an excellent choice.

Who Should Use Deezer

Deezer is ideal for music lovers who want a feature-rich streaming experience from a European provider. Audiophiles will appreciate the FLAC lossless audio quality. Users who care about fair artist compensation will value the user-centric payment model. Families benefit from the multi-profile Family plan with Deezer Kids. European users who prefer keeping their data under EU jurisdiction rather than with US companies will find Deezer a natural choice. And anyone looking for strong podcast and radio integration alongside their music streaming will appreciate the all-in-one platform that Deezer provides.