Gadgets

What If Every App Was a Music App? And Is There a Perfect Music App?

An interesting concept. This is from Medium:

Last week I wrote about a world where the only music app is a big “play music” button on your phone, and all of your personal data is seamlessly analyzed in order to serve you the perfect music for that exact moment. This week, I want to spin out something a little different — what if, instead of every app integrating with music, music was integrated with every app.

This comes on the heels of Flipagram’s eye-popping $70 million raise, and the announcement that the company has struck deals with all three majors labels, two big indie distributors, and several music publishers. Flipagram, for those of you who don’t know, allows users to put a collection of photos together to flip by very, very quickly. It makes the laser lights at an EDM show look slow and sedate. I’m shocked the app doesn’t come with a warning that it might trigger a seizure.

Continue reading.

On the same sort of topic, The Verge has published this for anyone who is trying to figure out which music streaming service is best for them. Is there such a thing as a perfect streaming app?

Even if I had a computer with a disc drive, ripping CDs feels as archaic as taping songs from the radio, and downloading illegal MP3s is a headache, even with a lightning-fast cable connection that 2004-me would have died over. Streaming has become the new standard ever since Spotify became available in the US in 2011; other contenders such as Rdio, Rhapsody, and Tidal have tried to win a part of the “every song whenever you want it” market with varying success.

I caved and signed up for a Spotify Premium account back in 2011; but there are lots of things about the service I find frustrating, disorienting, and impersonal. Is there something better for me out there? I wondered. In the name of improving the very fabric of my life, I went on a quest to survey the streaming ecosystem, looking for the ultimate service. Over the course of a month, I tried as many other options as I could, spending at least four days with each one. Because the features they all offer were so similar on paper, I knew picking the best service would come down to a matter of interface and ambiance; an intangible addictive aspect more than a list of specs.

Maybe I’ll be back, I told Spotify. Maybe not. What followed was the streaming music equivalent of a month-long Tinder bender — every bit as mentally and emotionally disorienting. Don’t worry, though. This breakup has a happy ending.

Read on.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37956 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.