Nowadays, social media and social networking are the most common ways of connecting with friends and peers. Every day, teenagers use apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Tik Tok as forms of entertainment and social interaction. These apps have shaped teens’ lives so that they constantly need to be in touch with one another, causing them to constantly be bombarded by messages and friend requests. However, there is another form of entertainment that relieves teenagers of this craziness, allows for them to take a break from the notifications, and lets them be in the moment with their friends or take some time to be alone: music streaming apps. 

Spotify and Apple Music, two popular music streaming apps, are forms of Social Network that allow you to create your playlists and share them with others. Music has always been a way to loosen up and bring people together through concerts and parties and we now have access to it at the tips of our fingers. 

From the start of 2021 to the end of March, Spotify has had 356 million active users with 158 million users paying the extra $9.99 for premium, according to Spotify Revenue and Usage Statistics 2021. In 2020, Apple Music reported 72 million subscribers, according to Apple Music Revenue 2020, each paying a required fee of $9.99 or $14.99 for a family plan as stated by the Apple Music website. While it is clear which is the favored platform worldwide, it was important to discover the opinions of the students at MHS.

In a poll put out on the Globe Instagram, Spotify took the win over Apple Music 67% to 33%. The results proved that MHS students agree with the worldwide consensus that Spotify is better than Apple Music but a few MHS students who were interviewed wanted to give their input on why. 

Jen Novick (‘22) had this to say: “Overall I think Spotify is the superior streaming platform. Spotify has many custom features such as curated playlists.” Spotify gives all members the ability to add as many songs as they like to a playlist and take them off just as easily. “I feel like the Spotify algorithm really understands people’s taste in music and accurately suggests new music to listen to,” Novick adds.

Spotify does this by suggesting songs to add to your playlist based on the genre of the songs. There is also an option to listen to a “song radio” which recommends similar music. Some of the perks Novick and other Spotify users have been able to experience without having to pay a fee are early access to tickets and special music events, as “they just send these invitations via email and with a few easy clicks, the tickets can be purchased.” Being able to follow friends on Spotify and see what they’re listening to in real-time adds to the social element of listening to music. With this feature you can compare music taste with your friends, incorporating the social part of this Social Network.  

Additionally, Novick enjoys the Spotify Wrapped feature which allows you to reflect on your past year of music. She feels this is a great feature that can then be shared with friends and peers on different social media platforms such as Instagram.  

On the opposite side, Svea-Liv Sheehan (‘23) has tried to make the switch to Spotify but could not bring herself to leave Apple Music. “I am just used to it, I like how straightforward Apple Music is and it already makes sense to me. I feel switching over would be a bit too confusing since there are so many different features on Spotify.”  Although Svea-Liv prefers Apple Music she did add that she feels it was easier to skip songs on Spotify. 

Through the polls and interviews, it is clear that Spotify is MHS’s favorite for its unique features such as special playlists and with a wider variety of  podcasts, early access to tickets, and the ability to stay up to date with your friends’ music tastes. However you like to make playlists and share music is up to you, but consider looking into Spotify to see what the hype is all about!