I'm always on the lookout for extra passive income streams. I don't have time for many of the mainstream ones (the well known survey sites aren't worth the time and energy). But occasionally I'll find something that requires little to no effort on my part that is worth signing up to.
A colleague pointed out Current to me a few months ago. I've been a long time user of Spotify, as I listen to music all day every day while I work. So the idea of earning money rather than paying a subscription fee definitely won me over. I've experimented with the app for several weeks now and earned enough points to cash out. So I feel confident enough that the app isn't a scam to recommend it to other people.
The Basics
You are rewarded points per song. You can also watch extra 15-30 second video ads to rack up extra points. There are other tasks such as games and surveys, but I've never bothered with those so can't comment on whether they are any good. The points you earn on the songs varies a lot depending on the radio station and time of day and can be anywhere between 0.5 and 114 (I got lucky during an Easter holiday bonus). Once you collect enough points you can cash out via Paypal or order one of the gadgets from their rewards page.
Pros
- It does what it says on the tin. You get paid for listening to music!
- If you want to complete more mundane tasks to earn money faster, the option is there.
- It's quick to install and get going, easy to use, and everything seems to work.
- Their selection of stations is humongous and I've found some brilliant retro music via the recommendations list.
- The customer service guys are pretty good. I had to contact them a couple of times at the start and they responded quickly.
- You can save music to play offline, which is useful if you travel around a lot.
Cons
- The app will switch to 'inactive' mode after 30 minutes of non use. It keeps playing music, but stops earning points. You have to watch one of the video ads to reactivate it. It's not a huge pain in the ass and Current earn their money via the ads, so I can't really complain.
- Right now the only way to cash out is via Paypal. They are adding Bitcoin and other methods in the near future. But if you're really not a fan of Paypal, then that may be an issue.
- If your internet connection is a bit hit and miss, it won't always credit you the full amount of points for a song. But there is no warning message to tell you this. I only noticed my connection was janky after noticing a string of low point scores.
If you are looking to make a LOT of passive income, then Current isn't for you. I can average a few pounds a week in earnings, but that's after listening 5-10 hours a day non stop. For the music junkies out there, this is likely a useful little app that will put a few extra quid in your pocket each month.
