If you like tunes but don’t like paying for them, you may already be subscribed to a streaming music service and not even know it. I’m talking about Music Choice.

Music For Free?

Music Choice is a streaming music service automatically included with many cable TV subscription packages. The company currently partners with what seems to be most cable providers in the US, including Comcast and Time Warner. If you have it, you should see a variety of music channels on your TV, probably towards the end of your channel lineup.

Music Choice features nearly 50 channels, including latest hits, jazz, classical, and other genres. There’s really something for everyone. There is also an app with some additional channels, as well as video channels.

The service has no ads, only eternally-streaming music for free, supposedly selected by humans. I find that the selection is quite good. It has no additional cost beyond your cable subscription that you already pay for.

The Good

• Infinite music on your TV and mobile app
• No cost beyond what you already pay for cable TV
• No ads (except if you select a specific song on the app)
• Over 50 music channels, for all tastes
• Music videos on the app
• You can seek to a specific point in videos that you bring up on the app
• Shows fun artist trivia on the TV and on the app

The Bad

• No rewind or fast forward, although you can kind of get around it if you pause the TV channel with your DVR
• You can’t choose songs, or create custom channels
• You can choose individual songs (including videos) on the app, but must watch an ad before
• Seems to censor songs with explicit lyrics (plays the clean version)
• You can’t download music for offline listening

The Ugly

• The TV channels have an outdated, blocky look

The End

I really like Music Choice. If you have cable, it really is music for free, with infinite tunes. I used to pay ~$15 per month for a Spotify family plan, which comes out to about $180 per year. If you want to cut that expense, Music Choice can be a great alternative, despite its limitations.