10 Apps Every Music Lover Should Own
For many, our phones are an indispensible part of our daily lives. These seemingly magical little devices have completely changed the way we interact and engage with our music. More people are listening to music on their phones than on any other device more than ever. However, our little electronic leashes have made it possible for us to do so much more than just stream our favorite tunes.
Whether you are trying to figure out the name of the artist behind that future bass tune you heard over the speakers at dinner or trying to settle a vigorous debate over what obscure sample Dillon Francis used in his last track, mobile apps have provided us a way to engage with our music in ways our parents never would have imagined.
We’ve rounded up the 10 best apps to make the most out of your mobile music experience.
SoundHound
If you’re at the club and are trying to figure out the tune the DJ just dropped, SoundHound may have a hint for you. Simply open the app and allow it to “listen” to the track and cross-reference it with its database. The app trolls iTunes data to get the best match, and it will even recognize songs you hum to help identify that blissful earworm. Plus, it gives you the ability to purchase your song once it’s been matched and it logs all of your match history.
Get SoundHound for iPhone | Android
BBC iPlayer Radio
British radio has long been the envy of stateside electronic music lovers, featuring shows like the legendary Essential Mix and, more recently, Diplo and Friends. Now you can get your BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra fix with all the live coverage in this little app. It also features offline listening of archived shows; however, most of them are limited to a few weeks after their original air date.
Get BBC iPlayer Radio for iPhone | Android
SoundCloud
Yes, we are mentioning SoundCloud. Yes, they have entered the subscription streaming game, and no, they aren’t crazy for doing so. While the company has had its issues, SoundCloud still offers something unique to the streaming market: exclusive previews of unreleased music, bootleg remixes and longform DJ mixes. While there may be other services attempting to offer the same, SoundCloud has built a worldwide community around these features, and despite frequent takedowns, it still has a massive catalogue of songs you may never find on any other streaming service. And with the new option to take your music streaming offline and ditch the annoying ads, SoundCloud may have the best streaming service around for dance music lovers.
Get SoundCloud for iPhone | Android
Spotify
You can’t mention streaming mobile music without mentioning the behemoth that is Spotify. Their database of over 100 million songs has loads of options for every dance music aficionado and even has some classics to boot. In an effort to possibly take on video giants like Netflix, Spotify is adding original first-run shows from music industry heavyweights in the coming months. Not much has been leaked yet, but the possibility of a talk show hosted by Dillon Francis and DJ Snake is fun to think about.
Get Spotify for iPhone | Android
Apple Music
In a sea of music streaming services, what on earth can Apple Music offer that the others cannot? Well first of all, their direct-to-fan model, Connect, which is attempting to take a swing at SoundCloud, is now offering artists the ability to upload any form of media they wish, leaving the door open for the service to host all those bootlegs and DJ mixes you need. Also, Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station feature a number of trendsetting artists and collectives hosting and running their own shows, including A-Trak, Skrillex’s OWSLA, Major Lazer and Anna Lunoe.
Get Apple Music for iPhone | Android
Bandsintown
With so many artists on tour, it can be difficult to keep up with who is where when. Luckily, Bandsintown can help you keep up. And with the ability to let it synch with your phones and calendar, you’ll never miss another show again.
Get Bandsintown for iPhone | Android
Cymbal
Cymbal is like Instagram for music. It’s currently in its infancy, but it has some serious potential due to its no-nonsense interface and ease of use. With so many other social media outlets around, and with Facebook fast becoming a vast wasteland of memes and videos, the ability to share music in a quick and easy way is needed, and Cymbal is hopefully the next best thing in the market.
WhoSampled
WhoSampled has been around for years as the only web portal educating music fans on the DNA of their music. The phone app has some cool extra features, like the ability to scan both your phone’s music library and your Spotify account for matches with their system. With sampling being such an ever-present part of music culture, it is increasingly more important that we take the time to dig a little deeper into the roots of our music.
Get WhoSampled for iPhone | Android
AmpMe
Ever been without a set of speakers when you’re dying to share the incredible new tune you found with your homies? With AmpMe, you can link up with all of your friends in the room and use your collective phone speakers as one. It’s a simple tool that can even make a hotel pregame for your next festival a much more enjoyable time.
Get AmpMe for iPhone | Android
KUVO
KUVO is the database portion of the same rekordbox software all of your favorite DJs use to manage the files on the USBs they use in CDJs at clubs and festivals worldwide. KUVO trolls the playlists automatically created when a DJ plays a set. Also, for those who are participating in the service, it automatically uploads the information to the web for viewing later for all you little track sharks out there. Growing its network of clubs, DJs and clubbers, KUVO is yet another place to discover great tunes.
Alexander Dias says don’t app and drive. Follow him on Twitter.
