Services such as and create personalized radio stations that bring commercial-free music to your PC or smartphone. Most are free, though all reserve certain features (such as mobile access or desktop apps) to paid customers. Of the major services, Pandora is the best choice for users who want free music on their phones or streamed to their TVs via . Another option, , provides more customization by letting you search for and play specific songs on demand, but for a fee.

Social media services such as make it easier to share and discover music with friends through integrated Facebook and Twitter support, so you can tell everyone what you're listening to and see recommendations from people whose taste you trust.

What if you already own lots of great music, and you just want to be able to listen to it on any device? Digital music lockers can store your tracks online and stream them to your PCs, phone, and tablet.