Oh, Apple!

Oh, Apple!

As a radio DJ, I hate Apple Music. I feel that all these streaming services are going to cost me my job one day.

Why would anyone want to listen to me blabbing away when they can just listen to whatever song they want, whenever they want?

As a music fan, I love Apple Music.

I subscribed last Thursday and spent the whole weekend playing around with it on my iPhone.

Initially I found it a bit confusing but once I got the hang of it, I couldn't put it down.

Apple Music is basically subdivided into five sections: For You, New, Radio, Connect and My Music.

I ended up using For You almost exclusively because it's for me and when it comes to music, all I care about is me.

When you register, they get you to tell them what sort of music you like, and then they give all sorts of album recommendations and playlists based on your preferences.

Amazingly, it's not useless because apparently Apple has hired music experts to make personalised recommendations for individual users.

In contrast, over at YouTube's Recommended section, I suspect it uses a trained monkey with electrodes sticking out its head. It suggested I check out Madonna's B***h I'm Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj. Nope.

It also gave me a heads up on an Iggy Azalea Carpool Karaoke vid. Double nope.

In fairness, there are some good recommendations but they're obvious, not insightful.

With Apple, the recommendations have been so insightful that they made me obsess over two bands that have escaped my attention for years.

The first is MGMT, a couple of hipsters from the Noughties with three unbelievably cool singles: Time To Pretend, Kids and Electric Feel.

The other is Pavement, an awesome indie band from the 90s that I never bothered with because their name is so boring.

I would not have discovered these acts if not for Apple Music, which is filling in my musical blind spots and making my life that much better.

LOVE

I also love its playlists, which have been curated with a lot of love.

For example, there's Stairmaster To Heaven, a metal playlist for fitness buffs in need of some hardcore motivation. The list includes The Wizard by Black Sabbath, Raw Power by Iggy & The Stooges and Unchained by Van Halen, just to name a few.

I used this playlist while I was on the treadmill over the weekend and I felt like a badass while I was power walking.

Anyway, I probably sound like an Apple shill here. So be it.

My iPhone is my favourite thing and Apple Music is my favourite thing in it. It seems to know me better than I know myself.


This article was first published on July 8, 2015.
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