I’ve tried almost all of the mainstream music streaming services now. I’ve listened to Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer, and now Apple Music.
I’ve found replacing Spotify really hard. No other streaming service has as many features — whether that’s music discovery, social, or playlist features — but Apple Music has got the closest thus far. I think Apple Music is my new go-to.
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1. Live radio
(Image credit: Future / Apple Music)
One of my favorite parts of Apple Music is the live radio. With an Apple Music subscription, you get access to a 24/7 (mostly) radio schedule, with genres ranging from J-Pop to throwback hits to brand-new alternative music.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but if you’re a music lover on the lookout for curated playlists or new artists, you’ll probably love live radio. If you find a specialist radio show about your favorite genres, you should find tons of new tracks in no time. I have a wide, varied, and sometimes niche music taste. My secret? I listen to the radio.
Apple Music has two of my favorite shows: Zane Lowe’s New Music Discovery and Matt Wilkinson’s UK-oriented New Music show. It’s not just new music, though: there are also throwback and Bollywood stations. Even Elton John has a show.
I would actually pay for Apple Music just for these radio shows. They’ve seriously changed how I discover new music — and you can save your favorite discoveries to your Apple Music library directly from the radio show. Simply tap the star icon next to the track name, and voila. It’s in your library.
2. Spatial Audio
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
Now, a small part of me wonders if this is just because Dolby Atmos-powered Spatial Audio is still a novelty. Spotify doesn’t have any Spatial Audio functionality, so I’ve been spoiled by Apple Music’s Atmos.
I have AirPods, so you will only be able to take advantage of this feature if you have Spatial Audio-enabled headphones or earbuds, like AirPods Pro 3 or AirPods Max.
Not every song is Dolby Atmos-encoded, but I’d say most hot, major-label new hits are. Apple Music has premade playlists specifically for Spatial Audio, though, so don’t worry. You don’t have to play a guessing game.
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As I move my head, the music follows and tricks my brain into thinking it’s coming from all around me. If I tilt my head to the left side, the music feels as if it’s only audible in my right ear.
Beyond being pretty cool, this makes the music sound more expansive, more real. You can easily trick your brain into thinking your favorite artists are performing a private concert in the comfort of your skull. It’s pretty neat.
But opinions differ. While I find that it enhances my listening experience, Tom’s Guide’s Audio Editor finds that it can make her tunes sound more synthetic, thinning out the sound to provide an artificially widened soundstage. Still, it’s something I’ve come to appreciate during my time with the service.
Then again, it could just be a novelty feature, and I might be bored with it in a week. Who knows?
3. Super-specific year-by-year playlists
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
I know that Spotify has pre-made playlists similar to Apple Music’s. However, Spotify’s playlists are much less specific. You can find playlists like “Alternative 10s” and “Rock 90s”, but there are fewer playlists just as niche as Apple Music’s.
As you can see from the screenshot above, Apple Music has a range of playlists in a certain genre — for every single year. The “Alternative” playlists go back until 1988. If I want, I can live vicariously in 1991 through Apple Music’s specific genre playlists. I love these.
I’m feeling quite nostalgic for the mid-late 2010s at the moment (a simpler, better time), so I’m loving the 2015-2019 playlists. As soon as I press play, I feel like I’m back in my college days, when my only worries were about how much reading I had to do.
Here’s a screenshot of Spotify’s version of these playlists so you can see what I mean.
(Image credit: Spotify / Future)
As you can see, the playlists aren’t as niche or as specific. It’s great that Spotify has these ready-made, and I know you can search for more specific playlists made by the community, but the Apple Music playlists are a great starting point if you want to relive a certain year.
What other Apple Music features have I missed? I’ve only been using it for two weeks, so I’m not an Apple Music expert yet. Let me know in the comments what I should check out next!
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