Like Spotify, Deezer or Apple Musc, a new streaming app provides access to a huge catalog of music of all kinds. But for free, without an account or registration, and you can even download songs!
The small world of music can shake. Not because of the appearance of a new genius, but because of the arrival – for the moment discreet – of a new application which could well undermine the current music industry, and in particular the major players in the diffusion that streaming platforms like Spotify, Deezer or Apple Music have become, giants with hundreds of millions of users around the world.
As you know, these services have gigantic catalogs of dematerialized music – digital files stored on servers, like Netflix videos – in almost all styles (song, pop, rock, rap, electro, r’n’ b, jazz, classical, etc.). Tracks and albums accessible on demand, via a simple Internet connection, provided you have an account. And apart from Apple, most of these services are based on a simple economic model: they offer either free access to their catalog, but with limits and advertisements, or complete and unlimited access, upon payment of a monthly subscription. – around ten euros on average. It is thanks to the income generated by these formulas that they can remunerate rights holders (artists, publishers, producers, etc.) and pay themselves to cover their costs and make profits.
But this beautiful model could well be undermined by an unexpected newcomer: Nuclear. At first glance, this free application appears as a simple classic player, used to listen to any audio file stored locally on a device. Except that Nuclear goes much further, by also allowing streaming of music available on several online services – mainly Discogs, Bandcamp and Audios, but also iTunes Music – and therefore potentially providing access to millions of titles.
As on the major official platforms, you can choose your program by browsing the different sections (Trends, New Releases, Best Songs, Genres) which present popular playlists, artists and albums. But also perform searches by name or title. And the results are truly impressive, because Nuclear finds not only the great classics but also real treasures, such as rare recordings by little-known artists, and absent from the major platforms.
But there’s even better. Nuclear also allows you to download music, individually or in complete albums, in order to keep it permanently on a disc or USB key, and therefore to be able to listen to it without time limit, which is not the case with subscription services. And the most incredible thing is that everything is free! There is no need to pay for a subscription or even register by creating an account and providing an email address or other personal contact details. Everything is functional straight away, both listening and downloading. And there’s not even any advertising!
For the moment, Nuclear is only available as software for Windows, macOS and Linux, with no mobile version planned. And although it is still in development, it is already perfectly functional, with a clear, practical interface and in French.
Download Nuclear
The big question that inevitably arises, and to which the Nuclear developer’s site gives no answer, is how artists – composers, musicians, authors, arrangers, etc. –, producers, technicians and other professionals are remunerated through this system which aims to be free, open and completely free. Because it is clear that this new troublemaker will not fail to attract the attention of record companies and the authorities responsible for enforcing distribution and reproduction rights. Difficult to say if he has a great and bright future in these conditions…