In a hurry? Go straight to the best options to listen to music together.
Opening your personal playlist to someone is a type of intimacy reserved for only those closest to you.
It can leave us feeling vulnerable but the impact it can have on our relationships is worth it!
Sharing artists, genres, and albums can help you build a deeper connection and help you get to know what makes them tick (or tap their foot).
But how do you listen to absolute bangers together and at the same time?
Here are the easiest ways to listen to music in-sync no matter the distance between you.
QUICK NAVIGATION
How to Listen to Music Together Online in 2024
Spotify Group Session
Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming apps due to its extensive artist library and personalized playlists.
The service is free, but also has a membership option that allows you to listen ad-free.
Though it does not include movies or videos, it does offer a variety of podcasts and other audio-media options. Spotify also lets you create listening sessions so you and your long distance friends, family, or partner can listen to music together online.
A unique feature of Spotify is that it also creates curated “Blends” that combine your and another person’s favorite music into a playlist that you can each listen to in your own time. This is a great way to discover new music that your loved ones are obsessed with!
How to Listen to Music Together on Spotify
- Open Spotify and begin playing a song of your choice.
- Tap the devices button on the bottom of your screen.
- Underneath “Group Session”, click the green button that says, “Start Session”.
- Then invite friends via:
- Social media or messaging app
- Copy/paste unique link, or a
- Unique code created by Spotify.
Friends can then listen to the group session on their own device and control the group session from their device allowing you both to share and play your favorite songs or podcasts.
To note: Group sessions are only available for Spotify members as the feature is still in beta testing.
FaceTime SharePlay
Apple has added a new feature in their iOS15 update that allows people to listen to music together via SharePlay.
SharePlay lets users play music, videos, movies, and more through supported apps on an in-sync FaceTime call.
The feature is free and available to anyone with an iPhone that has already installed the iOS15 update.
How to Listen to Music Together on FaceTime
- Open your Apple music app or other supported app.
- Find a song, album, or playlist that you want to share.
- Tap the SharePlay button on your iPhone’s dropdown menu.
- Tap FaceTime to start a FaceTime video with your friend, family member or partner.
Looking for songs to listen to together? Check out our post on the best long distance relationship songs that will hit you right in the feels!
Discord
Discord servers aren’t just for communicating and chatting with friends online, they are also a place you can listen and stream music together.
Partnered with Spotify, Discord lets users stream an album, song, or playlist with each other in real time. This feature is free for premium Discord users and just requires all users to have Discord and Spotify accounts.
Discord also has partnerships with other video streaming platforms if you want to stream more than just music.
How to Listen to Music Together on Discord
- Open the Discord app and click on the “Connections” menu on the left.
- In the “Connections” menu, click “Spotify”.
- Log into your Spotify account in the pop-up menu or webpage.
- Your friends on Discord can now see what you are listening to.
- Have them click the “Listen Along” button to listen to music together in-sync.
JQBX
JQBX integrates with Spotify and lets you and your friends listen to music together. The platform is free and available via their web app and dedicated Mac, PC, iOS and Android apps but you do need a premium Spotify account.
This is a great app for a group listening session. Your friends can cheer for songs they love and boo the ones they hate, letting the DJ know when to skip and what to play next. For long distance friend groups this is a great way to connect on current music tastes.
JQBX also lets you join public listening sessions as an individual or a group. This is a fun way to learn about new musical genres or find new favorite songs together.
How to Listen to Music Together on JQBX
- Create a private room in the JQBX web app.
- You are the default DJ, but can let others join the DJ queue.
- Press “Invite” to get a link to share with others.
- You can use the link in the “Find a Room” form or paste it into the web browser.
- Click on the room and start listening.
To join another room, you will need to look at the list of open rooms in the JQBX “lobby” or on the homepage.
Earbuds App
Earbuds is a social media app for music: you can see and hear what your friends are listening to as they listen.
What’s different about Earbuds is that it integrates with Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, and Amazon music so you can connect with your long distance music lovers no matter the platform.
The app also lets you listen together in-sync or scroll through a feed of your friend’s recent music activity.
A cool feature we like is that you can see what your favorite athletes, celebs, or other influencers are listening to and can join their curated streams.
How to Listen to Music Together on the Earbuds App
- Download the app and integrate it with your premium music streaming service.
- Press the plus sign (+) at the bottom of the screen to begin a live stream.
- Your friends can log in, search for and join your stream.
To note: the Earbuds app is currently only available for Apple users and private streams are not yet available to the public, but should be integrated to Earbuds soon.
Rave
Originally created as a video streaming app, Rave has also become a place where you can stream music in-sync and listen to your favorite albums together while video chatting or texting in the app.
Rave has recently introduced a DJ feature that lets you and your friends listen to music together and create original mash ups and/or mixes using music from Spotify or YouTube.
Since Rave only requires one user to have a subscription to the streaming service, it’s a great way to connect and share content with your friends who may not use Spotify.
How to Listen to Music Together on Rave
- Register using a Google, Facebook, or Twitter account.
- Once logged in, create a “rave” or music streaming party.
- Add friends using the “Friends” section under the menu icon.
- You can also add friends to the streaming party via the “+” icon.
People can join the stream once they have downloaded the desktop or mobile app and registered. Once everyone is in the rave, you can begin chatting and sharing your music, mash ups, and mixes.
AmpMe
AmpMe was originally created as a clever way to amplify your phone’s volume by syncing it to other devices.
However!
Users had other ideas when they realized that you don’t need to be with other people to listen to music together. Since then, the AmpMe team has embraced its identity as a service for in-sync long distance music streaming!
The app integrates with Spotify, YouTube, and SoundCloud and is launching a feature that lets you video chat with friends while listening to music together.
We think this is a great idea for long distance album-listening parties!
How to Listen to Music Together on AmpMe
- Download the AmpMe app and create an account.
- Tap “Host a Party” and attach your Spotify, YouTube, or SoundCloud account.
- Choose what you want to play, press play, and your stream will begin.
- AmpMe will give you a four digit code that you can then share with your friends.
- This will sync their phone’s to your stream and begin playing the music!
Watch2Gether
Watch2Gether is another video streaming app that has integrated music. The website lets you and your long distance loved ones browse music or music videos together on Vimeo or YouTube (there’s also extended options for movies!).
There are other cool options for video content too! Check out our post on the best ways to watch movies together online with friends and family.
This app is free, and like some of the others, integrates a chat room into the experience so you can chat while listening together. This is a great option for long distance couples, friends and families who already use Watch2Gether as they don’t need to learn or download any new tech for their virtual get togethers.
How to Listen to Music Together on Watch2Gether
- Create a room and share the URL with your friends.
- Add to the queue using any music video file that has a link from YouTube or Vimeo.
- Paste the link in the search bar and add it to the queue.
- Continue this process until you’ve got the perfect playlist.
To note: Depending on the video, you may need to download a browser extension to listen and/or watch.
Jukebox.today
Jukebox.today is an online webspace that allows you to share and listen to a curated playlist with your friends no matter the distance.
The web browser-based platform integrates with YouTube allowing you and your friends to build a playlist together online.
What’s really cool is that you can then listen to music together in-sync or come back to the playlist in your own time. Plus, the set-up is super easy too!
How to Listen to Music Together on Jukebox:
- Navigate to https://jukebox.today/
- Create a unique Jukebox playlist link to share with your friends.
- Select what type of room you want to create (public, unlisted, shared speakers).
- Add YouTube song links or search using song names.
- Share the link with your friends in order to stream music in-sync.
How Will You Listen to Music Together?
Now that you have a list of streaming services to listen to with your friends, how will you start listening together?
Whether you choose to create and share playlists or listen while you go about your day in different time zones, these options will help you grow closer and bond over musical taste no matter where you are in the world.
Recommended Reading