3 Great Music Apps for the iPhone
Pandora
Pandora’s application for the iPhone is consistently in the Top 25 Free list and it’s easy to see why. This app is one of the best examples of a website successfully recreating their site in a mobile application. The Pandora user simply logs into their account and is easily able to access all of the radio stations that were previously created online. It is also easy to create new channels and continue to shape your stations by giving each song thumbs up or down. The Pandora application has excellent usability and is extremely self-explanatory.
Shazam
Shazam offers a service that has never been offered before. The application is able analyze music that is playing and then provide the user with relevant information such as song title, artist, artist biography and song lyrics. Since I downloaded the application, I’ve used it almost daily. Whether shopping at the mall or listening to the radio, I often come across music that I like and am curious to know the artist and title so I can buy it later. Shazam makes it easy.
Justin Bieber Channel
No, I’m not a Justin Bieber fan. Okay, I kind of like his latest song. It doesn’t matter – the Justin Bieber Channel application for the iPhone is a great example of an app that provides relevant information to its users and entices users to continue to access it. Bieber has a huge, active fan base that is attracted not only to his music, but to his persona as well. This application does an exceptional job of making the fan feel connected to the artist by displaying Bieber’s latest tweets, posting his newest music videos, posting photos and providing the latest news. It also allows for push notifications so fans know when new information is available. The app developers found an artist with an active fan base and created an excellent resource that provides them with the information they desire.
3 Bad Music Apps for the iPhone
iLike
The iLike music application is the perfect example of an app that you download, use once…and then never open again. While the iLike website acts as a network to connect music lovers and allow them to share and download songs, the mobile app is a game that measures the user’s musical knowledge. Although it’s entertaining, the questions quickly start repeating and there is little incentive to continue to play. Rather than complimenting the features of the iLike website, the developers created a music-related app that was otherwise unrelated.
Top R&B Ringtones
This app seems as though it was created with the goal of being downloaded versus being used or well-liked. It is misleading and, by the looks of the related reviews, that has not been lost on users. There are dozens of popular R&B songs listed by artist and title, however when one actually downloads the song it is quickly apparent that it is not the original recorded. Despite the fact that the original artists are listed, the songs are all recorded by unknown singers. There are also issues in downloading the music that many users have faced.
Rhapsody
In my opinion, the Rhapsody app is considered bad because it doesn’t act as a marketing tool to draw users to the service. Instead, it’s simply an accompaniment to the website. While the app is free to download, you cannot use the application unless you are already a paying customer on the website. Therefore, the app won’t help the user base of Rhapsody grow.
Very nicely done! Thanks for setting the bar.