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Apple Music and Spotify Faceoff

Whether it’s on the way to school, running the track, doing homework, listening to music is a common activity for many students. Some listen to rap, some like pop, and others favor rock. Just as we all have different tastes in music, we often have different tastes in what we use to listen to our music. And there are many different music providers to choose from. Two of the most popular are Apple Music and Spotify. Though they share many of the same features, there are certainly features that separate the two.

Apple Music is available to Apple and Android users. With 30 million songs available, Apple Music provides users with a variety of genres and artists in 113 different countries. A three month free trial is given to people when they first start using it. With this free trial you can browse, select, and make playlists of your favorite songs and artists. The catch here is that after the three month trial you have to pay either $10.00 monthly or $14.99 for a family package.

“I love Apple Music because it is only $10.00 a month for all the music you want rather than paying $1.29 for each song. The music is downloaded right onto my phone so it’s in the same place as the music I already paid for, not a separate app,” Senior Mia Bissonette says.

On Apple Music, you can also see lyrics to a song, fast forward or rewind a song, and see what song is coming up next. Apple Music does not have commercials, unlike Spotify. You can constantly go back and forth to songs without beings stopped by an unnecessary commercial. With IOS 10 or later, you can share your music with others, but you have to have Apple Music to listen to the full song. Using data is also not an issue with Apple Music. You can download the songs to your library without paying for them and have them there when you are not near WiFi. It also connects you to artists and songs that may be of your preference, so there will be playlists that are made just for you by Apple Music. Of course, they also provide radio stations that range from rap to country, and even Disney. It seems as though Apple Music will continue to gain popularity since it has many features other music providers lack.

Spotify is another well known provider for music, available in 60 different countries. Spotify is not already built into the phone, it is a separate app. What’s different from Apple Music and what draws many users in, is that Spotify allows you to listen to music without paying for it.

Taylor Dobbins, a Spotify user says, “I use Spotify because I’m able to choose music for free and make up my own playlists that I enjoy. You only have to pay for a subscription if you want to have no ads which really isn’t a problem.”

Although you do not have to pay for it, you cannot skip songs endlessly without advertisements popping up. You are only allowed 6 skips per hour, whereas Apple music allows you to skip as many times as you want. Spotify also uses data and you cannot download songs directly to your phone’s library.

On HawkHeadlines Twitter, a poll was conductedto see what music provider students prefer to use. With 93 votes submitted, the results showed that 73% of students prefer Spotify, while only 27% prefer Apple Music. This may be due to the fact that Spotify is a free provider, while Apple Music is $10.00 a month, other than the first 3 months which are free.

Both providers offer a diverse array of music to users. What you choose to use is based on your preferences. Spotify and Apple Music each offer services that the others do not. If you are interested in having new music everyday then Apple Music is for you. If you are not interested in radio and playlists of music to your liking, then Spotify may be for you.

So there you have it. The pros and cons of two very popular music providers used by millions. Now, the only thing you have to do is pick what you think is best for you and sign up!  

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Krista is the Executive Broadcaster and a Staff Reporter, and has spent three full semesters at Hawk Headlines. She is Italian and loves Ariana Grande.

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