Spotify or Apple Music, which is better? I don’t mean to exclude Tidal from this conversation. Jay Z’s music service may be more promising now following Kanye West’s Tidal-exclusive album, The Life Of Pablo. However, even though Tidal is steadily growing picking up exclusive content along the way, it has a long journey ahead if it intends to match Spotify’s user base. While the app has jumped to the top of the iTunes Store on numerous occasions following Rihanna and Ye’s releases, it’s unclear how many people are actually sticking with the service. Apple Music on the other hand has hit a steady stride, already reaching a total of more than 10 million subscribers. Apple is halfway there to matching Spotify Premium with 20 million paid members, but nowhere close to the 75 million free subscribers Spotify boasts total.
Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio is too good to pass up. My free 3-month Apple Music trial is almost over and I’m going to renew my subscription. At the same time, I can’t fathom living without Discover Weekly or losing all my existing Spotify playlists. I won’t abandon you Spotify, but I’m doubling down.
Apple’s goal isn’t necessarily to take over Spotify. Tim Cook has put a lot of effort into original programming, like Beats 1 Radio. Bringing in high-profile artists and industry professionals to spearhead original content is what separates the two streaming services. Apple Music’s killer podcasts are the best kind of insider-music journalism I could ever want. Nowhere else can you find hours worth of discussion lead by top artists and leading industry musicians airing around the clock. Apple Music has Dr. Dre, Pharrell, DJ Khaled, OVO, Future, and Chance The Rapper all signed on as hosts of their own radio shows. Using this platform to preview new albums and singles brings in a different kind of audience that Spotify has yet to capture. 24/7 live radio is a feature unique to Apple Music. Instead, Spotify creates a personal radio based on an artist or song of your choosing, like Pandora.
Spotify does get the small things right. Each Monday, Spotify delivers a 2-hour ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist full of music recommendations based on your listening habits. Really all of Spotify’s curated playlists are spot on and I’ve come to use these features daily. Enjoy endless playlists you can subscribe to that update often. But it may not be Apple Music’s fault that its curated playlists seem sub-par compared to Spotify: Think about how well Spotify knows your music tastes if you have been a loyal Spotify user from 2008 . At just 7-months old, Apple Music hasn’t had a chance to get to know you.
Spotify’s interface is far more user friendly. Apple Music feels like an organized mess compared to Spotify’s simple, intuitive platform. Jumbled with your personal music library and the entire iTunes Store, browsing through Apple Music is a bit daunting. A stand-alone app has yet to be released for iOS or PC's but the sooner the better. Keeping in mind Apple Music’s iTunes-related interface issues, it’s much easier to interact with friends and social media using Spotify.
Apple Music and Spotify boast about 30 million songs each. It’s not that Apple Music has less content, but it’s hard to navigate and find new music. Suggestions aren’t as obvious nor as frequent. However, artists like Taylor Swift, Adele, Coldplay, The Black Keys, Jason Aldean, Grizzly Bear, and Thom Yorke have all removed their music from Spotify. This is an ongoing trend as artists believe they are not being compensated fairly. Apple Music and Tidal are competing for artists whose only option has been Spotify up until now.
Beats 1 Radio is by far what Apple Music holds above Spotify’s head in my book. Apple also has the capacity and reputation to continue to build Apple Music’s catalog of original programming. Apple is reportedly already filming an exclusive TV series starring Dr. Dre called Vital Signs. Because of relationships with artists via Beats 1, Dr. Dre’s influence, and sister platforms like the Apple TV, Apple Music has a better chance of attracting exclusive content deals in the near future. Jay Z brings that same advantage to Tidal.
Both Spotify and Apple Music cost $10 per month. However, Spotify still has a free version. So if you can’t pay for a month, you still have access to all your playlists, albums, and radio. Most of the time you will have to listen in shuffle, but for free you can’t complain. Apple Music does offer a family subscription which includes up to 6 separate accounts via iCloud family sharing. If Apple is developing original TV programming, $10 a month for a full music catalogue and exclusive TV shows is a bargain.
Apple Music has a lot of potential. An app separate from iTunes would do wonders. It is extremely impressive that in just 7 months Apple Music has managed to capture 10 million subscribers, half of Spotify’s 20 million paying Premium members. Spotify must find a way to take advantage of its substantial free user base to lure more paying customers before Apple Music, or even Tidal, pushes ahead with original content.
The battle between the streaming services may end up being similar to the dynamic between Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu. Obviously Netflix is the most popular, but Hulu and Amazon Prime each offer unique exclusive features. Many cord cutters, including myself, find themselves subscribing to two, or even all three, streaming services. Give it a few years, and the same thing could happen with Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify.
