Media streaming and social networks are all the rage on today’s internet. 8Tracks is an internet radio streaming platform that brings both worlds together. It is a website in which the platform’s users can put together a track list for other users to enjoy – each list must include at least eight tracks, as the platform’s name suggests. It’s an exciting option for all those Pandora and Spotify users tired of repeatedly listening to the same recommended tracks. However, there is a catch — you cannot stream 8Tracks outside the US or Canada.
Indeed, it was a relatively disappointing development to see the platform, previously open to the world until February 2016, restricting its services with geographic limitations. But all is not lost for those music lovers away from Canada and the US, as there are two ways to keep enjoying 8Tracks.
One option is to play 8Track music streams through YouTube. While this option exists, many users complain that it won’t work correctly. This is why it’s a lucky thing that a second option is also available: using a VPN to listen to 8Track outside the US and Canada.
Keep reading this guide to find out how to use the best VPN services to unlock 8Tracks from any country worldwide.
Using a VPN to listen to 8Tracks outside the US
8Tracks was available worldwide until last February, when the platform announced that its streaming service would only serve music lovers from the US and Canada. Since then, the rest of the world gets an error message instead of the music they expect and want. Fortunately, it’s still possible to enjoy 8Tracks’ music from any place on the planet with the help of a good VPN service.
VPN services encrypt all your digital traffic and hide your physical location by giving you a new IP address from their server network. Thus, you can use a VPN to be virtually in any country in which your VPN has a server. Here’s how to do it:
- Pick a VPN vendor. It has to be a good one because not all VPNs can unblock 8Tracks. And keep away from free VPNs, please. We recommend ExpressVPN.
- Find and install the software your VPN provides for your device.
- Launch your VPN app and log in using your new VPN credentials.
- Connect to your VPN using a server in the US.
- From this moment, the rest of the internet will see you as a US-based user, and every website or service you use will treat you accordingly. Thus, 8Tracks will refuse you its service anymore.
Top VPNs to unblock 8Tracks abroad – The quick list
The VPN market has snowballed in recent years, so many vendors are out there. However, if you want to stream 8Tracks outside the US and Canada, not every VPN will do the job. You have to choose one of the best ones in the industry.
We will describe the best three VPNs you can use with 8Tracks outside the US and Canada in full detail later in this guide, but if you’re already in a rush and need to know the gist of it, here is our quick list.
- ExpressVPN. The fastest and most reliable VPN is the best choice to unblock 8Tracks. It’s also the best option for any other task that requires the use of a VPN.
- Surfshark. A top-notch VPN with lots of extra features at a budget price. It’s also a great option to unblock 8Tracks and offers unlimited simultaneous connections to its network.
- NordVPN. Exceedingly fast, capable of clearing almost every possible geo-block on the web, excellent customer service, and many extra features.
How to choose a good VPN for 8Tracks
The increasing popularity and demand for VPN services have made the market flourish. Consequently, the industry is flooded with options claiming to offer reliable, safe, and advanced service. But alas, things are never so simple. The VPN market is no different from any other, with only a handful of excellent services providing the best quality.
Because VPNs provide such fundamental services, it’s critical to pick the best one. It’s not just that your security and privacy depend on it. But also, because only the best VPNs have geo-unblocking capabilities, you need to stream 8Track outside Canada and the US.
So how did we choose the best VPNs to stream 8Track? We considered the following factors:
- Fast servers. Speed is a critical factor when you’re streaming audiovisual content. Otherwise, your experience will include annoying buffering and interruptions.
- Many locations. Every location gives you a window into a different internet experience. In the case of 8Tracks, the essential thing is to have servers in the US and Canada. But having other options is helpful in other cases too.
- Unblocks 8Tracks and other streaming services. You can’t take for granted that any given VPN will unblock this or that service. This requires additional efforts by the providers because the streaming services are fighting hard to stop them.
- User-friendly apps for all the primary platforms.
- Good customer suport. Hopefully, you’ll never need it. But if any problem arises, then you should be able to tackle it quickly and reliably.
- No-logs policy. The no-logs policy is the only guarantee from your VPN vendor to protect your privacy. So, it’s essential to pick one that honors this practice.
After considering those variables, our expert staff came up with three outstanding VPNs that provide the best 8Track experience if you’re not in Canada or the US.
Best VPNs to stream 8Tracks outside the US
1. ExpressVPN
A well-known brand in the VPN industry for excellent features. Unblock 8tracks from anywhere in the world.
More than 3,000 servers across 94 countries worldwide
Functional TrustedServer technology
Secures internet traffic with AES-256-bit
No data retention
Impressive split tunneling functionality
Boasts network Lock (kill switch) feature
Supports Tor on browsers
Provides P2P (torrent) support on all servers
Each account supports maximum five simultaneous connections
30-day pay-back policy
Pros
- No doubt on securtiy and privacy
- Consistently reliable customer service
- Boasts super-fast servers
Cons
- Plans that are relatively pricey
ExpressVPN is the most prominent name in the VPN business for good reasons. It’s been at the top of the game for a long time. And whenever we test the best VPNs to pick the best for any specific task, it keeps coming on top of our list.
ExpressVPN boasts the fastest VPN network on the internet. These high speeds make it the perfect choice for users who want their VPN to unblock streaming services. And also, it’s the VPN that can unblock the largest number of video and audio streaming services by far.
The apps this vendor provides are among the best and friendliest, available for all the major operating systems and even for some more exotic devices.
ExpressVPN is a better option for streaming content because of its MediaStreamer. This media player takes advantage of the VPN’s Smart DNS technology to unblock 8Tracks (and many other media platforms) more efficiently than any other VPN.
This provider keeps no logs, has excellent customer service, and allows five devices to be in the network simultaneously.
If ExpressVPN has any disadvantage, it’s the price. Its subscription fees are higher than the market average, which could dissuade some users from choosing this vendor. However, you can try this VPN for 30 days without risking any money. So you can be sure that the service is worth your hard-earned money.
2. Surfshark
A cost-effective solution to 8Tracks that has a lot more features. Comparatively new addition to VPN industry, but it’s disrupting the market by providing extraordinary-performance.
Boasts more than 3,000 secure-VPN servers located in 100 countries
Deploys robust encryption using AES-256
P2P traffic is permitted on multiple servers
Provides automatic kill switch functionality
Quality camouflage mode
Implements zero-logging policy
Effective ad-blocker feature
Offers double VPN (multi-hop) feature
Unlimited simultaneous devices
30-day money-back guarantee
Pros
- Super-fast service
- Easy to navigate apps
- Provides live chat support 24 hours a day
Cons
- Server count is relatively low
Surfshark is a relatively new player in the VPN industry. But it’s shaking the market by offering a top-notch service with many extra features at a cost well below the market average. As a result, this vendor gives you one of the best services on a budget.
The network includes more than three thousand servers in more than 100 countries. As a result, it can bypass the geo-blocks in almost every streaming service. In addition, it exhibits military-grade security with many extra features that enhance the digital experience of all types of users.
Surfshark has obfuscated servers that can bypass the Great Firewall of China, protection against all types of leaks, malware blocking, and a kill switch. The customer service is excellent too.
The speeds are fast enough for gaming, supporting HD video streams, torrenting, and any other task you can imagine.
If costs used to be an obstacle for prospective VPN users in the past, Surfshark eliminates it as it can fit into any budget.
3. NordVPN
One of the most successful VPN services that can help you access 8tracks no matter wherever you are.
Over 5000 VPN servers in 59 countries
Threat Protection (tracking, malware, and ad blocker)
Military-grade standard AES-256-bit encryption
Kill switch
Split tunneling feature
Multi-hop VPN for double encryption
Numerous servers support P2P traffic
Provides Onion over VPN functionality
Obfuscates VPN servers
Observes strict no-logs rules
Allows connecting up to six devices at once
Money-back guarantee of 30 days
Pros
- Provides impressive privacy protection
- Interface with a user-friendly design
- Response time for customer support is fast
Cons
- Beginners may have difficulty understanding some of the features
NordVPN is affordable, friendly, fast, private, and secure.
This vendor is among the early adopters of the WireGuard VPN protocol, the latest and most efficient VPN tunneling protocol. NordVPN adopted it, corrected some privacy loopholes in the original code, and turned it into NordLynx, the provider’s own VPN protocol, which simultaneously gives you maximal safety and speeds.
The extensive server network includes 59 countries and many specialized servers. It keeps no logs and allows five devices to be concurrently protected by the VPN.
Can I use a free VPN to stream 8Track outside the US and Canada?
Free VPNs are a problematic proposition, and we always advise against them. But let’s not generalize and dig a little deeper.
A handful of good, safe free VPNs provided by reputed vendors exist. Unfortunately, these are the free versions of a commercial service whose marketing strategy is based on freemium models. ProtonVPN or AtlasVPN belongs in this category. These are good services, but they’re still inferior to paid plans because, being free, some of their features are limited. However, if you must use a free VPN, you should stick to one of those options.
Then, there’s the rest of the free VPNs. They are problematic in several ways compared to premium VPNs.
Functionality is the first problem to consider with free VPNs. Their resources are inferior to paid services, so they have few servers, low bandwidth and speeds, and no extra features.
And sometimes, they must perform the most basic VPN tasks (encryption and IP spoofing) correctly. Moreover, most have data caps of around 500 MB daily, depending on the specific network. As a result, the servers are overworked, and the connections are slow and unstable when you can establish one.
The average free VPN on the internet is such a poor service that it’s implausible to unblock 8Tracks or any other streaming platform for you. And even if you could find one that does, the data cap will keep your streaming session short.
But impaired functionality is not even the worst problem in free VPNs.
Most free VPNs are in business to collect user data they can sell to advertisers and data miners. In this guide, we’ve emphasized the importance of a no-logs policy so that your digital privacy remains safe with your VPN. Free VPNs are the opposite idea. Their business is to turn your privacy into a commodity they can use to turn a profit. Therefore, these services can create more security and privacy problems than they solve.
So there are good reasons to stay away from free VPNs.
Please don’t risk your privacy. Yes, a good VPN will cost you money. However, there are good options, and you can find premium VPNs that can fit into any budget, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.
Conclusion
8Tracks offers an exciting alternative to Spotify and other internet radio streaming services. The human element in picking tracks and lists and the social media element it includes make it different from the rest. So we can understand why users love it.
And now that 8Tracks is sadly limited to users in Canada and the United States, there is no reason for you to miss it. All you need is a good VPN that will give you a virtual IP address from the US or Canada.
Of course, only some VPNs can unblock 8Tracks correctly outside the US boundaries. So you need to stick to the best ones to get your fix of daily streaming music. That is why we have given you three VPNs whose quality and unblocking capabilities are beyond doubt.
We encourage you to pick a VPN between ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and NordVPN to enjoy 8Track at your leisure. These are top-notch services with many additional features that will significantly enhance your digital security, privacy, and anonymity. And in some cases, you will even find that the audio streaming is better through your VPN.
Last but not least, adopting a premium VPN will enable you to achieve one of the most important goals on the internet: staying safe.
FAQs
Using free VPNs is problematic, and most don’t have the technical prowess to unblock any streaming platform. However, if you search hard enough, you could find one that works with 8Tracks. But even if you do, we encourage you to use a paid VPN. Free VPNs pose security and privacy risks that you don’t need, and they have other disadvantages. Generally, unless you use a reputable free VPN like ProtonVPN, you should stay as far as you can from free VPNs.
Yes, it can detect some VPNs. It most frequently identifies VPN traffic by examining browser headers to find signs of VPN traffic. However, the best VPNs can evade 8Track’s detection strategies correctly.
