Music player apps have completely changed the way we users listen, discover, enjoy and share music with each other. In this day and age there are a variety of different music platforms available for people like myself to use with each service offering various unique features and catering to different listening preferences. From personalised playlists to high quality audio streaming, all of these apps aim to enhance the user experience and provide value in many ways. I decided that amongst starting my music player app project, I should research and note down some of the leading music app brands that not only I personally use but ones that are significantly popular to a larger audience and analysing their features and what makes them stand apart against other competitive music apps on the market. This will allow me to build upon my knowledge of what music apps are and what they can contain as well as how I can apply some of their features and counterparts into my own thinking when designing my music app.
In today’s day and age, music apps have transformed how we listen, discover and engage with music around us. We now have moved from owning physical albums or having to download individual tracks and instead have the technology and advancements where we have streaming services which offer immediate access to millions of songs across all genres, languages and mood types. These platforms are more than just players, they are systems that can learn and replicate the user’s activity, preferences, suggested content and can integrate itself into daily life.
Our current music apps we have on offer such as Spotify, Apple Music and more, have all reshaped listening habits by introducing on demand access, specialised playlists and AI features which can predict and shape what a user like myself wants to hear next. Whether it is some passive background listening during routines like my studying or sporting activities or wanting to listen to new releases of my favourite artists, these music player apps offer tailored experiences that suit different contexts and lifestyles.
Spotify is currently one of the most popular music streaming services globally available, known for its vast music library and the ability to have and create personalised recommendations. The app operates on a two way freemium style model with it offering both a free ad-supported version and a premium subscription that includes more features. It is also available on a number of different platforms allowing for easy accessible where ever you are in the world. I personally favour and use Spotify as I feel it is easy and flexible to use especially when you are on the go.
Spotify aims to create a highly personalised and engaging music discovery experience for users wanting an exciting journey whilst also offering a platform for artists to reach a global audience as well, adding to the social ride. With experience, I feel the app is suitable for all users and provides a healthy amount of features and benefits that someone like me can appreciate but also has inspired me to take reference to how the app works and integrate it in some way into my own music player app as well.
Apple Music is Apple’s sole and popular subscription based music streaming service which is integrated into the Apple design system. Unlike other music streaming services like Spotify or Amazon music, there is no option for a free tier and instead relies on free trials for users to try. The app itself provides users with a library of over 100 million songs and like Spotify, is available on every Apple IOS device including Iphone, Ipad, Mac, windows and smart watches. Like previously mentioned, I find Apple Music hard to get attracted to due to its locked down capabilities and the choice of only being on select devices, however in saying so I am a fan of their products so the idea of listening to music provided by the company can be seen as a luxury.
Apple Music consistently prioritises in delivering premium audio quality through its streaming technology, creating an engaging and immersive listening environment that draws users deeper into their favourite music. It's not just about playing music - Apple Music helps artists and fans really connect through cool stuff like exclusive content, behind-the-scenes peeks, and special spotlights on artists. They're nailing it by making everything sound amazing while also building this awesome community where both the people making music and the people listening to it feel right at home.
Youtube Music is a more recent music streaming service which is designed to merge the first hand experience of Youtube with a tailored audio streaming service. The streaming service is able to offer its users with the ability to create personalised and custom playlists as well as offer smart recommendations based on the users active listening history and recently wanted via Youtube itself. Its goal is to become the central hub for all official song and music video releases, live performances broadcasted, remixes and user generated music content too.
Youtube Music consistently provides its users with the ability to access rare and none official tracks which may not be available on other streaming services which is a major draw towards competition levels as well as benefiting users who enjoy live sessions and remixes of their favourite songs. With Youtube, it is able to integrate with Google services makes it intuitive for existing users, switching between music videos and pure audio tracks offers flexibility not seen in most streaming apps.
