The Spotify vs. Apple Music Debate
WILL NEVER END, BUT WE CAN KEEP IT GOING
Written By: Sophie Steinberg
Edited By: Anna Carlson
Apple Music has only begun to dip its toes in the pool of song recommendations, as they previously emphasized “human curation.” In August 2023, they introduced personalized playlists and a “Discovery Station,” featuring music compiled by an algorithm.
Alternative pop artist Cole Calico appreciates Spotify’s editorial playlists, which are curated by Spotify staff instead of an algorithm or AI. The playlists are created based on genre and promoted on the app, helping introduce users to new artists.
“Their editorials are always cool. As an artist, obviously, you pay attention to those,” Cole said. “Some personal favorites are ‘anti pop’ and ‘Fresh Finds Indie.’ I found a lot of cool songs on there.”
When DJing and making mixes, DJ The Boss Lady Brit often favors Spotify for more niche songs that aren’t found on Apple Music.
“Spotify definitely has more music. Apple just started adding the DJ mixes,” The Boss Lady Brit said. “I think depending on my mood, I pick Apple or Spotify, but I don't have a preference for either one.”
Visually, Spotify’s branding and aesthetics are very consistent. The app’s homepage is familiar, yet always being updated, and I could recognize the “Spotify font” almost anywhere.
“I feel like Spotify is like the Instagram of music,” The Boss Lady Brit said. “You can follow people. It's aesthetically pleasing.”
As Cole publishes his music on Spotify, he uses the platform to track his statistics, making note of his streams and what playlists his music is added to.
However, when it comes to artist royalties, Apple Music beats Spotify. While Spotify is notorious for barely paying their artists, Apple Music pays artists, the label, and the publisher one cent per stream. Spotify also recently implemented a “1,000 stream threshold," preventing artists from earning royalties until their songs reach 1,000 streams.
Many artists, such as Prince, Neil Young, David Bryne and Taylor Swift, pulled their music from Spotify at one point or another, citing a variety of issues with the platform, including low royalties, poor audio quality, and political issues.
Nevertheless, many Apple Music and Spotify users are not willing to switch over or give the other platform a try.
“I feel no need to switch to Spotify just for the aesthetic,” Carlton said. “I already have my entire library in Apple Music.”
Schreiber said they would consider Apple Music if the tides changed and there was a “mass exodus” from Spotify.
“I'm pretty married to these playlists and this UI,” Schreiber said. “I could be convinced otherwise, but it's so convenient because it's all very familiar to me.”
It seems that each app offers something different — Apple Music seems to cater to audiophiles, while Spotify caters to our desire for social media-driven serotonin and digital exploration.
The debate and discourse over listening preferences reminds me of those who prefer Instagram Reels over TikTok and vice versa. The subtle differences in content, curation, and UI are there, but at the end of the day, we are all addicted to content.
Spotify versus Apple Music is a different phenomenon, informed by science and defined by one’s relationship to music, but overall, it seems like people prefer familiarity. Whatever choice we made, or our family’s made, in high school or ten years ago, is the one we will stick with.
In 2024, there are two kinds of music listeners: those who use Spotify and those who use Apple Music. Like Coke and Pepsi, the neverending debate is nowhere near being solved. As each company attempts to edge out the other, their basic features and prices have become nearly identical. At a certain point, the difference boils down to internet identity—do you want to be perceived as a Spotify user or an Apple Music user?
As a diehard Spotify user, I never considered the alternative. My “Liked Songs” playlist has been years in the making, I always need concert recommendations, and I enjoy taking frequent trips down memory lane to my nightmarish “Top Songs of 2020.”
Since debuting on the App Store in 2011, Spotify has remained the music streaming giant, outranking Apple Music with 44.6 million paid users in the US, compared to Apple’s 32.6 million.
Just as I am firmly in Spotify’s camp, Skye White is in Apple’s. White downloaded Apple Music in 2015 when the app debuted, deleted Spotify, and never looked back. “I like the interface,” White said. “I think it's so much more aesthetically pleasing than Spotify and I think it's super easy to use.”
With their signature red and white colors, Apple Music plays on our nostalgia, offering a modern version of the iTunes we grew up with and an iPod reborn in app form. Utilizing other Apple features, like Siri and Apple One, Apple Music works especially well with other Apple products.
Although they do not offer a free version of the app, their paid subscriber-only system allows Apple Music to offer exclusive content such as artist interviews, early releases, and radio features like The Zane Lowe Show.
DJ Matthew Carlton believes the most distinguishing feature between the two platforms is the difference in sound quality, as Spotify “normalizes” the audio quality of their songs to create “a more balanced uniform experience.”
“I think people who are really particular about their sound quality probably would prefer Apple Music,” Carlton said.
Apple Music users can listen to certain songs in spatial audio with Dolby Atmos technology, allowing the listener to experience multidimensional sound not just in their ear, but all around them.
“For certain albums, [Dolby Atmos technology] makes it sound incredible,” White said. “Billie Eilish did her whole album in that type of audio and it sounded insane.” Apple’s AirPods Pro (2nd and 3rd generation) also supports head-tracking for spatial audio, sensing how the listener moves to create a 3D sound experience.
Regardless of the audio quality, Carlton, who exclusively uses Apple Music, still experiences “Spotify FOMO” each year when Spotify Wrapped Day rolls around.
“I feel a little jealous on Spotify Wrapped Day when everyone gets these cute, personalized playlists and Apple Music has their own version of that,” Carlton said. “I wouldn't say Apple Music has the aesthetic all the way down yet, the way that Spotify does.”
Like every other phone app, music has also become undeniably social. Friends compare Spotify Wrappeds and “daylists,” parties have become accompanied by “Listening Sessions,” and it’s easier than ever to stalk your friends’ listening history.
Carlton believes that people enjoy their taste being labeled and identified by Spotify. “I'm kind of [an] armchair psychologist here but I think people really like that Spotify tells you who you are,” Carlton said. “[They] like the pleasure of being perceived by Spotify.” Carlton referenced 2023’s Spotify Wrapped, which told users where similar listeners lived, in their “Sound Towns,” with the most famous and meme-worthy locations being Burlington, Berkeley, and Cambridge.
In many ways, Spotify feeds into our digital personas as they are reiterated to us by our “for you pages” and Discover Weekly playlists. Spotify’s newer AI features, such as the AI-powered DJ and “daylists,” affirm the “indie soft boys” and the “sad girls” by showing them personalized suggestions every time they open the app.
Spotify user and musician Sam Schreiber believes the mixes and “daylists” have become hypercurated.
“[The algorithm] sort of starts to dictate your taste,” Schreiber said. “It's just gonna keep feeding you the same couple of songs and genres that it already knows you like.” Schreiber said they sometimes find themselves listening to the curated playlists for several days.
“If you don’t want to discover any new music, you don't have to, which is a weird one,” Schreiber said.