Spotify has today received a major boost in the app department, adding thirteen new free downloads for fans of the music streaming service.
Major record labels have provided many of the apps, with contributions from the likes of Sony, Def Jam, Warner, Universal, EMI and PIAS. Our favourite is by far the new ‘Now That’s What I Call Music!’ app, which takes us back to our childhood days of buying the compilations on CD and even cassette tape.
Our new favourite app offers up a very colourful interface along with a selection wheel, featuring categories such as Number 1s, 80s, Party and NOW. You can browse the latest hits or take yourself back to an old Now… album, create playlists and share them with your friends, amongst other cool features.
But what about the other 12 apps? Here’s a rundown of what each app offers.
Classify: Classify opens Spotify’s doors to the world of classical music. Browse by composers, eras, moods, instruments or genres. A vast library of classical music is now intelligently organised for your listening pleasure.
The Complete Collection: Browse rich images, lyrics, and liner notes to learn more about iconic artists while listening to their music. Always wanted to know who wrote that Eminem song? Looking for the producer of your favourite beat? Use The Complete Collection to immerse yourself in music history while listening to legends you love! Subscribe to your favourite artists to learn more about their music. With the Complete Collection, you won’t miss a detail. 150 album booklets available at launch with many more coming soon.
Def Jam: For over 26 years, Def Jam Recordings has shaped culture and lifestyles by creating the very best in hip-hop, rap, R&B, and pop music. Def Jam’s new Spotify app will give you new experiences in music discovery and curation.
Digster: Digster has fresh playlists updated weekly. You can browse playlists by category, find playlists made by artists and match Digster playlists to your listening history and Facebook likes. When you find something you like you can play it in full screen mode. Perfect for a party or when you need to see what’s playing across the room while preparing dinner.
Domino: The Domino Spotify app is a discovery and listening destination for fans of Domino artists, the Domino label and the larger independent music community. Through the app, Domino leads the listener through its 20-year history by highlighting artist playlists, custom catalogue exclusives and commentary from their friends and neighbours in the world of indie.
Filtr: Filtr is a playlist app, which allows you to build playlists based on the music tastes of your Facebook friends, people who’ve accepted invitations to Facebook events, music genres, your Spotify playlists and favourite artists. On top of generating awesome playlists, Filtr also recommends existing and live updated editorial playlists based on what you like.
Hot or Not: Hot or not? You decide. Cast your vote on one of the two songs in the battle, either based on what you think is the most popular or what you wish to make popular. You’ll be rewarded with points and can earn badges as well as track your progress. Your voting will also contribute to the ‘Taste Maker’ top list based on users with the highest points score.
The Legacy Of: A visual feast. Dig deeper into some of the world’s most acclaimed artists with hi-res photos, curated playlists, handpicked albums, biographies and more. Delve into the catalogue of artists like Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Daryl Hall & John Oates and Stevie Ray Vaughan. New artists highlighted every week.
Matador Records: Matador’s app gives you the ultimate experience in new releases, tour dates, playlists and more. As well as keeping you clued up on Matador’s latest releases and tour dates, you can browse through the history of releases from Matador since 1992 – an interactive guide to music from the New York indie label.
[PIAS]: The [PIAS] app helps you discover the very best new albums and expertly curated playlists from the indie label. Updated weekly, you can now rely on trusted voices to introduce and recommend great music from both past and present.
TweetVine: TweetVine is a perfectly formed little app that listens to all the tweets on Twitter with the hashtag #NowPlaying and creates Spotify charts from the results! The idea was developed at a London Music Hack Day by brilliant coders Matt Larsen and Matt Schofield from Universal Music.
The Warner Sound: The Warner Sound features songs, albums, and playlists from Warner Music Group’s outstanding roster of artists including Green Day, Bruno Mars, Linkin Park, and Cee Lo Green, hot and emerging artists like Wiz Khalifa, Ed Sheeran, Kimbra, Birdy, and Fun, as well as legendary acts like The Doors, Grateful Dead, and Aretha Franklin. Additional features include genre-specific playlists, album of the day, family tree (where current artists are traced back to the classic roots), and artist-curated playlists from today’s hottest acts.
These new apps join the existing 11 that launched alongside Spotify Apps Beta, including Pitchfork, Guardian Music and more. From our first impressions it seems that the second batch of apps are much improved upon from the first, which makes us very excited for the future of the platform. Bring on more apps!
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