Yesterday, Spotify introduced what it described as its “greatest evolution but,” with a brand new TikTok-style Dwelling feed that mixes music, podcasts, audiobooks, and extra right into a single feed. The redesign has acquired fairly a little bit of criticism from music followers — and it may characterize a significant alternative for Apple Music. Hear me out…
Spotify’s new design
A fast have a look at the response to protection of the brand new Spotify interface reveals that the majority customers aren’t very pleased with it. The complaints focus on Spotify making an attempt to do “an excessive amount of on the identical time,” making it more durable to simply discover music and playlists.
This has been a rising drawback for Spotify, because it has tried to cram increasingly more into the identical app. The corporate spent some huge cash on podcasts and audiobooks, and it’s struggling to drive consumer engagement to justify these investments.
Spotify apparently thought this new design may be a win-win: friendlier to what customers really need whereas additionally driving engagement to nonmusic choices, like podcasts and audiobooks. Maybe, unsurprisingly, that’s not the case.
A gap for Apple Music
Personally, I dabble with Spotify however primarily use Apple Music. I take pleasure in a few of Spotify’s curated playlists, however this redesign has sealed the deal for me to by no means swap again to Spotify full-time. On the identical time, nevertheless, I’m hoping Apple sees this as a chance to enhance Apple Music and entice disgruntled Spotify customers to hitch its service as an alternative.
The redesigned Spotify app is unhealthy, however Apple Music isn’t nice. The Apple Music app is stale, laggy, and troublesome to navigate in many alternative locations. However there’s one factor Apple Music has going for it: Apple’s not making an attempt to do an excessive amount of with it.
With a number of small exceptions, the Apple Music app is targeted on music. You received’t discover audiobooks and podcasts cluttering up the expertise. Podcasts aren’t randomly inserted into your Apple Music playlists. You open the app and are greeted with fast entry to your most up-to-date albums, songs, and artists.
That is one thing I would like Apple to construct on. At a time when Spotify is doing the other, Apple ought to double down on Apple Music as a music streaming service by:
- Enhancing the velocity and reliability of the Apple Music app.
- Making it simpler to resurface songs/albums/artists you haven’t listened to shortly.
- Including crossfading help on iPhone and iPad.
- Persevering with paying artists a a lot greater royalty fee than Spotify.
- Investing in a “Spotify Join”-style characteristic for cross-device management (or enhance AirPlay).
- Integrating extra social options, reminiscent of collaborative playlists.
Dan Moren penned a nice piece for Macworld final week, highlighting totally different locations the place Apple can enhance the music listening expertise. Fairly the whole lot he mentions in his piece holds much more weight now that Spotify has made it clear that music isn’t its solely focus.
At this level, I query if music is even Spotify’s primary focus — not to mention its solely focus. Apple has a chance to point out us it’s dedicated to Apple Music, and doing so may simply appeal to some disgruntled Spotify customers to spice up its valuable service income.
Let’s hope this yr’s updates to iOS 17 and macOS 14 embrace some notable Apple Music upgrades.
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