My saving grace throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been my MUSIC. Music is my healer. I am sure most of you know just how much I love making playlists for my SoulCycle classes + for my friends. My phone, laptop, or TV is constantly streaming my favorite playlists to set any mood. One of the most common questions I get asked is about Spotify vs Apple Music. I pay $9.99 a month for each of the membership subscriptions. Personally, I use them both very differently. I figured I would let in on WHY I use BOTH and what I use each one for. Do you have a preference?
Spotify
Let’s start with Spotify! I consider Spotify to be a pioneer of music streaming. I have had a Spotify account since high school. I remember making some of my first playlists back in 2010. One of my favorite things about Spotify is it is super easy to use. (Although my mom disagrees and says “I just don’t get it.”) The interface is very user friendly and you can listen to the entire song for free (with ads) or the paid version (without commercials). It is great for finding music, discovering similar artists, getting music suggestions, and following what your friends are listening to.
As a fitness instructor I am constantly trying to find new music that I can play in class. Spotify is my favorite way to stream and discover music. They have new playlists that get refreshed frequently like “ New Music Friday” or “ Release Radar.” At the bottom of any playlists that you create, you can scroll to the see suggested songs. I have been reminded of so many gems from scrolling and refreshing through my song suggestions.
Apple Music
Apple music is a streaming service that allows you to stream music for $9.99 a month. Itunes has your purchased songs and your Apple Music Streaming Library. Essentially you own your Itunes music but you borrow the songs you use from Apple Music. One of the things I love about Apple Music is that the songs you have downloaded or purchased in your Itunes Library are in the same place as your Apple Music (everything is found in iTunes).
I prefer to use Apple Music for my SoulCycle classes. Apple Music quality is overall better than Spotify. The actual music files sound better in my SoulCycle classes. Benefits to Apple Music: You have the ability to cut and trim songs for better transitions. 3, 5 or 10 second crossfades might work for you on Spotify, however Apple music allows for you to trim music to a fraction of a second. This means seamless transitions between each song in a playlist. Another reason I love Apple Music is personalization in your iTunes playlists. You can change the view to several different options and rearrange the order of categories, and hide statistics like date, length, artist, album, play count, etc. You can also input BPM (beats per minute), organize in lists by a number of different categories, create subfolders (I save all my playlists), and you can edit the view of your display. I add comments in the notes section of each song so I know how many sets / 8 counts I need to choreograph for the next time I use that song in a playlist. I hope that helps explain things a little better on why I like to use both for different reasons!