Music

8 must-have new music apps

by Mark Teo

Photo: Soundwave.com

Whether you’re an Android devotee or an iPhone addict, you’re probably familiar with the world’s dominant music apps. In Canada, Rdio is our proud answer to Spotify, the ever-popular music streaming app. Songza, the addictive curation app, is ubiquitous. And thanks to Shazaam, we no longer have to ask the question, “Hey, what’s the name of the song playing in this coffee shop / bar / record store?”

Indeed, apps have transformed the way we think about, and listen to, music. But along with the Shazaams and Songzas of the world, there are plenty of emerging apps that could revolutionize your music-listening (or music-playing) experience. Here are eight we love.

 

Agogo

Photo: App Store 

If you’re like us, when you’re strapped into your headphones, you’re not only listening to music—there’s also radio, podcasts, sports, news, whatever. Instead of fumbling around between a zillion apps, Agogo is an aggregator that combines and curates all of your media into one shockingly pretty stream. For the organization-obsessed, Agogo also allows customized streams—so, for example, if you wanted to organize death metal, cooking, and dressage (cough, horsey dancing) streams, go right ahead.

 

Speed of Sound

Photo: Google Play

This one’s for Android only—sorry iBuddies. (Though we’re sure it’ll make its way onto the App Store eventually.) Here’s how to make Speed of Sound work: Plug your phone into your car stereo. Launch the app. Open your music player and play something fitting for the open road. The app will automatically adjust the volume of your music to the speed of your car. The faster you drive, the louder the music, natch.

 

Rithm

Photo: App Store

Rithm often gets labeled as the musical Snapchat, but at its core, it has one purpose: To eradicate those annoying “what I’m listening to” photos from Instagram. Really. This music messaging app allows users to selects songs from Rdio or Soundcloud, pair them with a picture, then send them ‘em to a pal. It’s a perfect way to share your current musical obsessions—and like Snapchat, it’s simple, intuitive, and downright addictive.

 

Soundwave

Photo: App Store

If there’s a must-have app on this list, it’s Soundwave, the explosively popular app funded by Mark Cuban. Think of the gorgeously packaged Soundwave as its own social network. But unlike other social streams, it’s hellbent on discovery: It allows you to share what you’re listening to on Rdio, follow friends and musicians, and even check what music is trending in your area. Spoiler alert: Toronto really, really loves Drake.

 

Downcast

Photo: Downcastapp.com

In our opinion, Downcast is the finest podcast app around—and it’s well worth its price, which, at $1.99, is mere pocket change. Whether for Android or iOS, Downcast is a powerful tool that subscribes to, downloads, and manages your list of podcasts so you don’t have to—it’s the easiest, most intuitive app of its kind. Never mess around with iTunes or the iPhone’s terrible native podcast app again. Downcast is perfection for Music That Matters addicts.

 

Rouse!

Photo: App Store

When it comes to all-out music fandom, Rouse is a must. It aggregates all of an artist’s tweets, photos, news, tour news and relevant bio information into one central stream—so you can see not only where Diplo’s playing tonight, but what he had for lunch in Brussels.

 

Gtar

Mobile instrumentalists dare to dream: Curtis Fields, the famed iPhone guitarist, has signed to Epic Records. And since we’re on the topic of iPhone guitars, it’d be a shame to not mention Gtar, an app-hardware combo that makes iShred—the app Fields uses—look like your older sibling’s hand-me-down Mexican Telecaster. Gtar is a so-called “smart guitar” powered by an iPhone—it has a drool-worthy touch-screen fretboard, a wired pick, and an iPhone that functions as a pickup, pedals, and output. It’d make most guitar purists cringe. But there’s no denying it: Gtar works.

 

Algoriddim Djay 2

Amongst DJs, Algoriddim DJ is a well-known commodity. But as perfect as its original interface was—it resembled an vinyl DJ’s setup—DJay 2 is even better. In short, this is a tool for pros, with a brand-new sampler / drum machine, HD audio waveforms, and even virtual grooves mimicking honest-to-analogue records. Available for the iPad or the iPhone, it’s even making laptop DJs look obsolete.

 
 

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