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Ole Entertainment: 5 Apps for Music Lovers

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St Olaf chapter.

Hey Oles! Midterms season seems to be never-ending, and with the constant stream of papers and tests it can be hard to get motivated. Sometimes the only way to get yourself in the mood to conquer that huge pile of work is the perfect playlist. Use one of these apps to get you started – just don’t spend more time crafting your “Study Jams” playlist than you do actually studying!

Spotify

With an impressive library of over 20 million tracks, Spotify is a music streaming service that enables users to search or browse for music by artist, genre, song/album title or record label. Users can create playlists and collaborate on group playlists as well as listen to a multitude of shared playlists organized by genre and mood. For a monthly fee you can upgrade to Spotify Premium to get an ad-free experience and access to some songs before their release date.

Soundhound

Have you ever heard a song on the radio that you absolutely loved, but didn’t know the name of? Soundhound, a music identification app, is the answer to all of your problems. The software can recognize tunes through humming, singing or holding your phone up to the source of the music and will provide you with lyrics, a link to any videos on YouTube, a link to iTunes, ringtones and the option to launch Pandora Radio.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is an online audio distribution platform that allows users to upload, share and promote their original music. This is a great way to find local music and the undiscovered talent in your area, as well as launch your own music career!

Songkick

Craving some live music? Check out Songkick, a personalized app that provides updates regarding live events and concerts in your area. The app synchronizes with your iTunes library and allows you to pick which artists you are interested in seeing in concert, then tracks their tour dates and sends notifications if they will be nearby. It also makes suggestions based on which artists you like, so you can check out some new acts.

Songza

You’ll never have to worry about finding the perfect song to fit your mood ever again with this music streaming and recommendation app. Songza provides playlists divided into four categories: activities, moods, genres and decades. To give you an idea of the endless amount of options, some of the activities include “Dance Party: Sweaty,” “Driving in the Left Lane,” “Pleasing a Crowd” and “Shopping at a Vintage Store.” There’s even a playlist for “Coding,” so Songza has got you covered while you’re doing that Computer Science homework!

cover photo, spotify, soundhound, soundcloud, songkick, songza

 

Lindsey Tucker is a freshman at St. Olaf College, and is the writer for the Ole Entertainment Blog. When she's not scoping out new music tracks or browsing Netflix for the next show to watch, she enjoys playing accordion with The Runestones, whipping up tasty drinks in The Cage and attending the occasional concert.