I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve kindheartedly berated my fair share of Apple Music users. I like to think I even convinced my roommate to make the gruesome transition from Apple to Spotify (no, it definitely wasn’t the student discount). Regardless, I’ve compiled the following reasons to prove, once and for all, that Spotify is the music platform, and I urge you to offer my argument to all your unenlightened friends.
- PERSONALIZED MIXES
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If you don’t have the time or energy to handcraft playlists, you have the option of listening to the ones Spotify creates just for you. And if you’re not already a Spotify user, I know how this sounds. The idea of some algorithm actually finding good music doesn’t seem too promising. To that I say, ask any Spotify user—Spotify hits significantly more than it misses. The options are endless. Users have five Daily Mixes to choose from, each mix containing artists of a similar sound or genre. The mixes update daily, and include both artists you already listen to and some that you might like. Spotify’s magical algorithm also creates customized mixes based on genres, decades and artists you listen to, as well as playlists for specific moods and situations.
- RELEASE RADAR AND DISCOVER WEEKLY
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Beyond bestowing users with customized playlists for every whim or craving, Spotify also generates “Discover Weekly” playlists weekly, playlists with the sole purpose of exposing users to music that they have never heard but will very likely enjoy. Similarly, the “Release Radar” includes new music from artists that the user has already enjoyed.
- SPOTIFY WRAPPED
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Perhaps one of Spotify’s most iconic and genius features is Spotify Wrapped. Spotify Wrapped features a summary of the user’s top music (artists, genres, songs, etc.) for an entire year through an interactive slideshow-type presentation that cumulates in a shareable infographic, including the user’s top genres, artists and songs of the year. Spotify Wrapped has become quite the social media phenomenon, so if the previous reasons didn’t convince you, perhaps peer pressure will.
- COLLABORATIVE PLAYLISTS
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The capacity for collaborative playlists on Spotify is one near and dear to my heart. Throughout high school, my younger brother and I constantly argued over what songs to play. We decided to ease the conflict by creating a “compromise playlist,” where we each could add a certain amount of songs (with each other’s approval). Our efforts became significantly easier when Spotify made it possible to make collaborative playlists between users. The option is also great for parties, long car drives with friends and more. Recently, Spotify even elevated its capacity for collaboration by offering automated playlists between users, containing both individual and shared songs for the ultimate compromise playlist.
- COMPATIBLE ACROSS DEVICES
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Whether you’re walking around campus and jamming to music on your phone or at the library streaming on your computer, you’ll have no issues listening through Spotify. It’s compatible across devices, and the interface remains almost identical for easy navigation.
- USER-FRIENDLY
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Speaking of Spotify’s interface, it’s extremely user-friendly. As a not tech-inclined humanities major, I have no issues working my way through Spotify. Immediately upon opening the app, I can see all my playlists and the content I recently listened to. I can use the “Discover” tab to find new music and can easily search with a clear “Search” tab. Unlike Apple Music, which contains countless tabs, Spotify has only three simple tabs.
- DISCOUNTS & FREE STREAMING
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Nothing beats free stuff, especially as a broke college student. Spotify has a free streaming option that provides access to all the same songs as the Premium option. Though I recommend Premium for ad-free listening, no ads, downloading capacity and the ability to listen to songs on demand (rather than shuffle), I enjoyed the free version for years before switching. That said, Spotify also has a student deal for Premium, unlike any other platform. For $4.99 a month students can get both Spotify and Hulu.
Now, if an Apple Music fan approaches you, send them this list to avoid the inevitable Spotify-is-better rant. Or, share it with your Gen X parents who still use Pandora. That works, too.