When it comes to music, students at Academy are divided between two streaming apps: Spotify and Apple Music. Both apps give listeners millions of songs at their reach, but opinions vary when it comes to which platform hits the right note.
Spotify is known for its personalized playlists, the app builds recommendations based on your listening habits, helping users discover new artists and genres with ease. Spotify launched in 2008 and has become the go to app for many teens because of its ability to understand what listeners love. Its music recommendation analyzes what users play and creates custom playlists.
“Spotify is what I listen to because I have been using it since middle school, it makes hundreds of playlists based on what I like to listen to and it is very easy to navigate,” said Mischa Martin (‘26).
On the other hand, Apple Music fans praise its sound quality, sleek design, and playlist collaboration features. Apple music launched in 2015 and it is equivalent to apple’s ecosystem, it syncs with IPhones, Macbooks, and watches. The service offers spatial audio, meaning songs play in higher quality, creating a different experience that listeners appreciate.
“Apple music definitely wins for me because it’s easier to use, it has better transparency and audio, especially in my car on the way home,” said Rory Martin (‘26).
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music doesn’t offer a free plan, but it includes all features for paying subscribers, no ads, unlimited skips, and full access to the entire Apple library. For students who already use Apple devices, its intelligence makes the listening experience on any device smoother and more consistent.
Apple music is super nice and organized, plus there’s no ads! It also gets updated regularly because it’s an apple app which is really nice for a fresh new look” said Sophie Bachs (‘28).
Spotify offers both free and premium versions. The free plan allows users to listen with ads, while the paid version removes ads and allows listening at all times. For students, the Spotify Student Premium plan also includes access to Hulu, which is a good bonus.
“Spotify is great because premium allows me to listen without having ads and unlimited skips. It’s a great app that I can easily connect to my computer at school as well,” said Liana Fernandez (‘28).
In the end, it often comes down to what you grew up using and how you listen. Spotify caters to users who like constant recommendations while Apply Music appeals to those who want high quality sound. No matter which side you’re on, both apps continue to evolve to fit how we experience music in our everyday lives. Whether it’s blasting a hype playlist before a big game, or unwinding to soft tunes after a long day at school. The students at Academy aren’t pressing pause on their love for music no matter when, no matter what.
