Let’s be honest, when it comes to the war between Apple Music and Spotify, none of us are indifferent. As soon as one of them gets a mention on Twitter chaos reigns and people get defensive. So here at The Edge we’re here to help – our writers are here to (calmly) convince you of the merits of each app, so you can (calmly) decide which one works for you.
Spotify
Spotify has owned the hearts of many for a long time now – the banging student discount and daily personalised playlists make it the ideal streaming service. No matter how chaotic your library gets, Spotify sees you, accepts you, and lovingly offers 6 daily mixes for whatever mood hits that day. Even better are the new releases, every single Friday, covering all corners of the music industry.
But best of all are the Spotify statistics that appear every December, proudly telling me that I listened to The Cure for a shocking 84 hours in the space of a year. There’s something really special about seeing exactly what music captured your heart in a year.
Playlists are a breeze to make, so users can have a playlist for literally any situation (in some cases, this might be a 4-hour playlist of just Green Day songs). But even better, Spotify understands your guilty pleasures, and allows you to make some playlists private – don’t lie, we all use this feature.
So this is a thank you to the treasure that is Spotify, for knowing us better than anyone else in the world, and never judging even the most disastrous music libraries.
Apple Music
The debate between which music streaming service is better, Spotify or Apple Music, isn’t necessarily one of superiority (in regards to quality) but of convenience. They both offer discounted student prices. They both provide personalised playlists, new music suggestions and podcast/radio services. Apart from differences in layout and design, there’s little to separate the two services. So why opt for Apple Music? Well, if you have an iPhone, Apple Music is the obvious choice. In terms of functionality, Apple products are built so that their streaming brand works more efficiently on their devices than any of their competitors’ services. If you want to ask Siri to play your favourite track or for a song suggestion, it can only do so through an Apple Music subscription – sorry Spotify users.
In all seriousness, there’s no need for genuine fracas between the two. They’re both miles ahead of everyone else in the game (*cough* Tidal *cough*) and hopefully their competition will help to push each company to provide the best service possible. If you have an Android, it probably makes sense to go for Spotify. Likewise, if you have an iPhone, Apple Music is your best bet. As long as they both keep providing a way to listen to the same R.E.M., David Bowie and Kanye West tracks over and over again, there’s no need just yet for a streaming service war.
