App(s) Review: The Only Internet Radio Apps You Need
January 15th, 2010
If you own an iPhone, it’s probably safe to say that you’re somewhat of a worldly person who loves having music with you everywhere you go. You might also enjoy discovering new music, instead of listening to the same old playlists every day. Well, the miracle that is Internet radio, which thankfully does the thinking and tuning for you, has exploded in the past decade or so, and, of course, it’s finally picking up steam in the App Store, too.
There are plenty of Internet radio, music-streaming apps to sift through, but many are buggy, not what they claim to be, or just plain disappointing. The right Internet radio app should be the only one you need and the only you use, so I tested out some of the more popular ones and narrowed them down to a select four for you to choose from.
*Editor’s Note: Check back next week for a list of the best Radio Apps that stream your favorite radio stations (real ones—y’know, ones that you don’t listen to on your computer).
Pandora
Price: FREE
I realize you may already be on to that whole Pandora thing the kids are talking about, but, really, why mess with the best? The Pandora website is a favorite among, well, anyone with a computer in need of some consistent listening either at work or at home, and the app pretty much follows suit. It’s simple to use, especially if you’re a Pandora.com user, but if you’re not, here’s the brief rundown.
Give Pandora the name of an artist you like, and Pandora will create a station for you (named after that artist) that will stream music that sounds like that artist. You’re only allowed a limited number of skips, so don’t judge too quickly if you’re not a fan of a song Pandora gives you. You can also view the info on the artist by hitting the button at the top right (looks like a track listing), and make sure to give the song a thumbs up or thumbs down so Pandora can understand your tastes a little better.
I’ve never experienced any issues with skipping or hiccups, even when the “higher quality audio” feature is turned on, which it warns may cause some skipping. It definitely does sound better, so go with this option if you can. You can also turn on a feature that lets you lock your screen so your iPhone doesn’t go to sleep while you’re streaming. But, as Pandora warns you, if you’re not plugged in, you’re going to die pretty quickly (well, your iPhone will, anyway).
As a free app that plays some pretty amazing tunes (assuming that it actually picks the tunes you like) and has virtually no bugs or glitches, this is definitely a top choice for music streaming apps.
Slacker
Price: FREE
This is probably my favorite streaming music app, as it does much more than you’d expect it to.
After signing up for a Slacker account, you can browse for Slacker station you like and stream music instantly. The artwork for the song playing takes up the screen, and you can view more info, too, like partial lyrics of the song, a bio on the artist, reviews, and a link to download the song. You can favorite, ban, or skip a song (it resembles Last.fm very closely), but the downside is that you get a limited number of skips (like Pandora). You can favorite a station you like, as well as “fine tune” it by selecting options that let you edit down its content even further to appeal directly to your tastes. The app is also share-capable, by allowing you to share a station via Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail, which is definitely a nice touch. Check out the “Slacker Spotlight” on the home page, that shows a few featured stations, and also try to utilize the “Find Music” feature that lets you search for your favorite artist or song and play a radio stream that chooses songs for you based on that artist or song.
My only complaint here would be the constant ads and suggestions to upgrade to Slacker Plus. I’m definitely considering doing so, but only begrudgedly, as I’d like to enjoy the awesome streams here without the constant poking.
Last.fm
Price: FREE
Here’s another Internet radio staple to bookmark if you’re not on the website version already. Though it’s not quite as simple as Pandora and it can be incredibly overwhelming if you start out on the website, the iPhone app is thankfully as simple as can be–no real bells or whistles here.
Start out by signing up for an account, then give Last.fm the name of an artist you like. The app will then make sure it’s found the right one and begin streaming music it thinks you would like from similar artists. You can view info on the artist, which is really the only feature in the app with some real substance (if that’s what you’re looking for). Get a full bio of the artist, see a calendar of when they’re touring, view other similar artists, and also see who that artist’s top listeners are. While you’re streaming, also make sure to tap the heart icon if you like the choice or tap the strikethrough icon if you’re not a fan. Last.fm has a bit of a habit or replaying songs played earlier in your session, so if you didn’t like a song and didn’t “ban” it, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.
Without overwhelming those of you new to Last.fm, the app can also stream your “Library,” as a station, if you have the Last.fm software downloaded on your computer. The software basically keeps track of what you listen to in iTunes and “scrobbles” it to your Last.fm account to be saved in your library. Basically any artist it recognizes and has stored on the site will play, so this also works in the iPhone app. It comes in pretty handy when you want to listen to your recently played iPod music on your computer (instead of wasting iPhone battery), but I’m still not sure what use this feature would be for the iPhone app.
All in all, though, this is a great music streaming app if you want to discover some great new(ish) artists that are similar to your tastes. Unlike the Slacker app, which is quite overwhelming at times, this is simple, laid-back, and user-friendly. Kind of like a hipster.
OurStage
Price: FREE
Don’t come looking for your favorite artists or top 40 hits on this app, which features entirely new artists only, most of whom are unsigned and independent. The point of the OurStage app is to expose you to some new artists you’ve probably never heard of but will instantly like, depending on the genre you choose to listen to. Songs will play in a steady stream, and the app will learn to feed you music more catered to your tastes as you rate each song playing with the “thumbing” system.
Simple enough, eh? You have the option of skipping songs (no limits, like Pandora), and you can even search for music or artists, if you think you’re enough of a music snob to actually find an artist you know in this app. When and if you find some tunes you like, you can compile them together to stream as playlists within the app, as well.
My experience with the app showed that button reactions are a bit delayed, but the music never hiccups. Also, this isn’t an app that will let you play music outside of the app, and the music quality could be better. But OurStage is more geared toward a sitdown, hours-long listening and exploring experience that shouldn’t really be interrupted by doing other things on your iPhone. And it manages to get the job done.
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