Formaviva vs Apple Music
An Apple Music alternative where you pay the artist
Apple Music is a polished subscription with lossless and spatial audio across the mainstream catalogue. Formaviva is smaller on purpose: independent electronic music you stream for free, and buy from the artist when you want to keep it.
Facts checked · Sources
Apple Music and Formaviva compared
| Question | Apple Music | Formaviva |
|---|---|---|
| Fees and payouts | ||
| How artists earn | Per-stream royalties | Sales, merch and tips: keep 90% |
| For listeners | A monthly subscription | Free; pay for what you buy |
| Ownership and control | ||
| Who can publish | Through a distributor or label | You, once your profile is invited |
| Listening and downloads | ||
| Audio | Lossless and spatial | Full tracks in the waveform player |
| Owning the music | Downloads end with the subscription | MP3, WAV, FLAC, AIFF |
| Promo and selling | ||
| Vinyl and merch | Not sold | Vinyl, cassettes, shirts, bundles |
| Community and discovery | ||
| Catalogue | Mainstream and everything else | Curated, invite-only electronic music |
| Social | Shared playlists and profiles | Follows, likes, playlists, waveform comments |
Strengths of each
Where Apple Music is strong
- Lossless and spatial audio in the subscription
- Deep integration across Apple devices
- A very large catalogue
- The iTunes Store for buying downloads
What Formaviva adds
- Listening is free, with no subscription
- Buy once and keep lossless files
- The artist keeps 90% of what you pay
- A curated catalogue of independent electronic music
You don’t have to choose. Plenty of listeners keep their Apple Music subscription for everything else and use Formaviva for the underground: hearing new electronic releases in full and buying the ones they love.
Questions
Is Formaviva a subscription?
No. Listening is free. You pay only for what you choose to buy, and the artist keeps 90% of it.
Can I buy lossless files?
Yes. Every purchase can be downloaded as MP3, WAV, FLAC or AIFF.
Is there an iPhone app?
Yes, on the App Store, and on Google Play for Android.
Ready to hear the difference?
Artist and label profiles are invite-only, which keeps the catalogue worth browsing. Listening is free for everyone.
Sources
Details about Apple Music come from its own published information and reporting as of November 2026, and can change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it. Apple Music is a trademark of its owner. Formaviva is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple Music.