If I’m being perfectly honest, I have one foot in this world. They are obsessed with playlists they’ve built and curated over years, and particular versions of obscure albums that almost none of the services seem to have in their catalogs. I see a lot of tech reviewers talk about these services and throw out terms like “lossless audio”, “bit perfect”, and “spatial audio”. I use the phrase “regular person” very deliberately. But, I promise that if you’re a regular person who loves music, Youtube Music is literally built for you. All I know is Youtube Music, so any review from me would be super biased.
#Songza listen later free#
I have dabbled with Tidal, tried Spotify’s free tier, and I don’t even know what Apple Music looks like. It’s the sort of magic I’ve talked about before that only Google can deliver, spinning all of that data they have about you into a seamless, incredibly personal music experience. Instead of juicing bitrates, or signing early/limited release features from artists, Google has made the Youtube Music experience accessible to the entry-level user with all of the basic features you would expect, and then it turns on the magic. It almost feels like Google is choosing not to compete on the same terms. In fact, Youtube Music seems downright ordinary when compared to its peers. Until recently, Tidal was owned by Jay-Z, has integrated live concerts and performances, offers CD-quality lossless audio, and has positioned itself as your favorite artist’s favorite music streaming service.Īnd there’s still Pandora, Deezer, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and iHeartRadio to name a few more! Youtube Music isn’t lossless, doesn’t have the largest catalog, nor is it particularly favored by recording artists. Spotify has been in the game the longest, has the largest market share, and has all the great features users want, including a free service tier. Dre (bona fides don’t get any better than this). Apple Music has an incredibly deep catalog and was launched by music industry veterans Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Or is there?Īt first blush, Youtube Music would seem to be a standard music streaming service swimming in an ocean of better-equipped, more-experienced competitors.
#Songza listen later series#
For the most part this article series is about the unexpected origins of successful services, but there’s nothing unexpected about Youtube Music’s origin. The Songza app is going to be keeping me very busy for quite awhile.Before we get started, let me take a moment to state the obvious: Youtube Music is clearly descended from the deceased Google Play Music, and the evolution isn’t remotely ambiguous. If not, and if I get tired of listening to the oldies on the Walking on Sunshine list, I can head to the Popular menu option and browse the Playlists of the songs that are trending and currently popular. Perhaps there will be one for Uploading Work While Eating Bacon and Eggs. I want to find out what activity choices it will give me for Sunday morning. I can’t wait to wake up tomorrow morning and open this app right away.
I made sure I added that Playlist to my favorites. I haven’t found many songs on it I don’t like, and have even found a few I never heard before that I like just as much as many of the favorites I’m hearing. I went through a few different choices and finally found some great music to work by, “Walking on Sunshine,” I.’s not just that song, but a whole playlist of music that’s happy and upbeat, just like that. It include sub-options Artists’ Record Collections, Dance Music That’s Not Assaultive, and Mustache Music (Or: Cool in the ’70s), among other interesting choices.
The Explore menu option has choices for Genre, Activities, Moods, Decades, Culture, and Record Store Clerk. It’s a pathway to finding even more specific playlists.
There’s another way to find the right type of of music you’re looking for.