Apple Music vs Spotify: What's New in Each Service? Apple Music: During WWDC 2019, Apple announced that it would be removing iTunes from iTunes on MacOS and replacing it with the Apple Music, Apple TV, and Podcast apps. You'll still be able to sync your iOS device with Apple Music, and your entire music catalog will be safe in the new Apple Music app. Spotify: It was recently announced that Spotify Stations, a Pandora-esque online radio service launched in Australia last year, will be available in the US starting in June. The world of music has always been a matter of rivalry. There's Taylor Swift vs. Kanye West, Tupac vs. Biggie, Eminem vs....everyone? Now you can add a new rivalry to the mix: Spotify vs. Apple Music. You can choose from several streaming services, but the Swedish-born Spotify with its free music model and Apple Music, the iTunes replacement that offers exclusive albums and a monstrous library of 45 million songs. That being said, Spotify has the advantage at the moment of having a much larger number of users, at least outside of the United States. In fact, Spotify doesn't ask for money from the start and you can stay there for years without paying a dime. Of course, Apple can offer a 7-day free trial, but it will take a little longer. So, in the end, which department should you invest your entertainment budget in? To help you choose the one that's right for you, we've broken down the pros and cons of each service so you can sign up and start listening.
Apple Music
How big is your music library? Apple Music has a huge library of songs, approximately 45 million strong, covering a wide range of genres. So if you like French pop or Brazilian electro pop and find it hard to find your more obscure artists, there's a good chance Apple Music has you covered. Plus, being an Apple product, its interface is easy to navigate on both a Mac/PC and more portable formats like a smartphone or tablet, and you can download tracks to take with you when you're missing out on Wi-Fi. -Fi. This is a feature that Apple Music shares with Spotify, but it's essential if you want to keep users subscribed to the paid version. How much does it cost? Unlike Spotify, which offers free or paid versions, Apple Music offers only a free trial before signing up. It's understandable from a professional point of view, especially with so many golden carrots exclusive to potential users, but not having a free version in the long run has ultimately hurt Apple's desire to increase its number of users. Free trials are limited, especially for those looking to use a service long-term. Giving users limited access to the full experience of your service may seem like a better deal in the short term, but in the long run it suffers compared to the free/ad-supported version of Spotify. However, having three different payment methods shows that Apple wants its users to be ready to take a more proactive approach. Having a cheaper student package ($4.99 / £4.99) is a bargain (but not exclusive, Spotify offering something similar), especially since this fee still gives you access to all facets of their service. For everyone else, this is €9.99 / €9.99 for an individual, or €14.99 / €14.99 for a family subscription of up to six people
What exclusive benefits does Apple Music offer?
Certainly, Apple has gone to great lengths to eliminate Spotify and the small music streaming services by signing some of the biggest names in popular music with exclusive offers for new albums.
Until now, Apple Music has offered Drake, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Frank Ocean, Future, and more, and it's been a strategy that has vexed Spotify over the years. Of course, if you're not a fan of these artists, this feature may not be a game changer, but if you are, it's a major asset.
Apple Music also offers Beats 1, the cutting edge of original streaming on the service. It is a 24/7 radio station that offers live playlists and DJs. It is an internet radio station supported by Apple. It's as sober as you can imagine with former Radio 1 DJ 1, Zane Lowe, and many more. With Apple already planning more stations for the service, this original streaming angle is one facet Spotify simply doesn't have the answer for.
There is also an exclusive social feature called Connect, included in the Apple Music package. It's essentially a way for artists to build more intimate relationships with their fans, giving them access to new singles, videos, and messages.
Connect may seem like something designed for larger groups, but it's open to any artist, offering a service not unlike what MySpace was in its infancy. For fans, it's a simple yet effective way to get closer to the bands you love.
Finally, there is the exclusive video content. With its iTunes integration, the ability to browse and read tons of music videos adds a dimension that Spotify simply doesn't offer. And Apple Music is doubling down on its visual efforts with original shows like Carpool Karaoke: The Series (a longer version of James Corden's famous sketch on The Late, Late Show) and Planet of the Apps (A Dragon's den). . Esque show for application and software developers).
Who does it look like to you?
If the desktop and laptop versions are great (the aesthetics, after all, that's what Apple has), there's a disparity in user experience between the two: Apple's Mac, PC, or laptop version is much better than what you will find on your phone or tablet. In fact, the continued use of larger images and larger frames is suitable for a larger screen and it's very easy to navigate through your playlists, exclusives, and imported iTunes library.
That said, the setup is great for larger tablets because having more screens makes the icons larger and the focus more content-oriented.
The smartphone-optimized version isn't broken by any means, but its large icon design often makes it a bit difficult to use because it doesn't use a phone's smaller screen to its advantage.
Spotify
How big is your music library?
Spotify currently has more than 30 million songs. Of course, it's not as much as Apple Music at the moment, but with 20,000 new songs added on average per day, we wouldn't be surprised to see Spotify match up and even surpass its biggest rival.
Spotify's huge influx of pieces has helped to knock it out of the stratosphere, with a focus on promoting new pieces and innovative artists. Curated playlists are almost always the first thing you see when you load up a version of the app, with the service seeming to lay out playlists for just about every music subgenre. These are also constantly updated, so your favorites never enjoy long-term use.
Discover Weekly, the playlist based on your listening preferences, has made big strides in recent years thanks to the nuances of its suggestions, though Apple's Reading List for You (introduced in 2016) now offers much of the same functionality. Well yes, it was once.
What are the prices for the premium plan?
Now we come to one of the main reasons Spotify has always had Apple Music Remote: paid and unpaid access. Although Spotify has tried several different versions over the years, Spotify has always gone back to the basic formula that worked best: everyone can sign up and access every track in their catalog for free.
There are ads every few songs, but you can customize 15 playlists containing the songs of your choice. You also have access to curated playlists, like Discover Weekly. In the past, you didn't have full control over playback and could only skip a limited number of times per hour.
Rather than lock content behind a paywall, Spotify wisely seals the features that make the service more dynamic. Do you want to listen to music without advertising? Do you want to download as many tracks as you want on your smartphone to listen when you are not at home? Do you want to be able to ignore songs as and when you want on your tablet / smartphone? It's time to use Premium.
It's a business model that may sound crazy on paper, but it's the perfect way to increase your user base by making the whole environment clunky enough for all users to cough.
What exclusive features does Spotify offer?
Here is the problem. Right now, there really isn't much that really sells the exclusivity of using Spotify. Of course, there are podcasts exclusive to the platform (and many others available on iTunes or Stitcher), but Spotify has never been more interested in this segment of the market.
Video was an area Spotify is immersed in, thanks to deals with groups like ESPN and Comedy Central that have featured some of their streams to Spotify users. Neither one nor the other seems to resonate with users, however, as rumors circulate that Spotify could ditch its current list of shows entirely and go straight back to the drawing board. It's unlikely she'll ditch the video entirely, but it's clear the current plan isn't working.
Low data mode is an additional 2018. It caches some audio when you lose signal and uses less of your data allowance. 75% less according to Spotify.
Who do you look like? Spotify has had few updates over the years, but it's hard to deny how well the current user interface works. Unlike Apple Music, this is a clearly redesigned service optimized for smaller screens due to the many options available on the screen at once. Whether you're downloading an album or playlist to your phone, or starting an artist-based radio channel, it's an intuitive experience. The tile system is small enough to make it easy to select new albums and playlists, while incorporating a significant amount of content into a content timeline, which is ultimately organized according to what you listened to and what you liked. which you might want to enter then. Spotify can contain as many playlists as albums, but it is a strategy that works because its algorithms adapt the application to each user. Being able to work with multiple platforms is another great asset. The ability to work on almost all types of smartphones and tablets increases your audience reach, and the user interfaces on all of these platforms are uniformly robust. Being able to play Spotify from your console, like the version that runs on PS4, is a great indicator for the service, as well as the ease with which you install it. Overall, Spotify is winning the war against the UI.
verdict
In general, both services have their advantages and disadvantages, and each is tailored for a user looking for different things on a music distribution platform: Spotify offers a more complete experience, really open to everyone, but its mobile experience is limited. unless you & # 39; they are ready to go premium. Apple's three-month free trial gives you an idea of its service, but its highly mobile design is at odds with its impressive library and exclusive content. As it stands, Spotify is still the best service overall, but unless it ramps up its original content, Apple Music won't stay in second place for long.- Whichever service you choose, you'll need the best headphones to get the most out of your music subscription.