The Amazon Music App
I frequently use Amazon Music, an audio-streaming mobile application that I recommend. Amazon Music is also available for Mac and Windows operating systems as well. It can be used for free, but a paywall blocks many great features and artist accessibility.
Upon opening the app, a colorful opening screen is displayed momentarily.
Usability
Amazon Music has average usability, and since it offers so much, there is some organization to get used to. There are some organizational issues with it that I have attempted to reach out to create feedback for the developers. For example, when the user searches for an artist, they can pick one of six different types of results from the query returns; the artist’s page, a song by the artist (usually popular songs are returned), an album by the artist (typically popular albums are at the beginning of the return), or playlists, stations, or podcasts that somehow have the artist involved. Tapping the icon for the desired artist brings the user to the artist’s page. Users can select from any available album or look through a list of popular songs here. Once users choose an album, they can either add the album, add individual songs from it, or download it. The difference between downloading and adding the album is that downloaded songs can be listened to offline, which means they will take phone memory when downloaded. I will refer to songs as “added” instead of downloaded to avoid confusion, but they both function similarly, aside from the storage method. Once a song or album is added, the artist appears on the main “artists” page on the app’s home screen (see image below). The artist’s page can be sorted alphabetically or according to the download date. Here is an organization suggestion I have offered to the developers previously. I have over three hundred artists in my library. A search function to find an artist while I am in my library would be excellent. If I know the artist is in there, I should be able to type the first few letters, and the list skips to that section, so I can tap on it and open it. Otherwise, I must scroll from A-Z every time I open the artist page (actually from the numbered artists such as 2 Pac, 311, or 3 doors down). Other than the search function, the app is pretty easy to use.
The Library of artists from which the user has added or downloaded music. (Currently playing/in the queue is at the bottom)
The typical layout once the user selects an artist from their library. (Currently playing/in the queue is at the bottom)
The library of music from a specific artist that a user may have added or downloaded, blue checkmarks indicate the music has been downloaded..
Typical results for an artist search
Functionality
The app offers other valuable functions, such as adding music to a playlist that can be accessed later. This is good for making lists of Rock Run Music, Latin Music, Electro Exercise Music, Sing Along, or even Favorite Songs by (insert artist here). In addition to playlists, an on-queue list can be made. For instance, when arriving at the gym, I know I want to listen to a particular set of 6 or seven songs, so I add them to a queue instead of making an arbitrary or invaluable playlist that I will only use once. I can also “listen to similar music” while listening to an artist, and similar artists will play. This is a great feature I’ve used often, which explains why I have so many artists in my artist library. A fellow classmate of mine suggested an "auto-play" feature, which Amazon Music does have. How it works is; when the listener reaches the end of a playlist or album, and they do not have "repeat all" selected, Amazon will automatically play related artists to the most recent album or playlist. Music quality can be chosen too, but I find that high-quality music compared to average rate yields no difference to me, neither through speakers nor in headphones. When it comes to artist selection, this app is excellent. I recommend it for this reason alone that I have obtained brand new albums on the day of release from trendy artists, and I pay a small annual fee (about ninety dollars). I have hundreds of albums. That would have cost me thousands a decade ago. I also have access to underground and amateur music (sometimes hidden gems can be found).
Design
I am not a design expert. There is a suggestion about the design on the App’s main page. There are four main pages to access from icons at the top, but one is truncated and has to be dragged over to the left to access. The icons could be modified in size to keep them centered on the screen. I don’t know much about how to make an app look organized and easy to use, but I know when I see an app that looks nice, and Amazon Music looks pretty good. It offers a dark and light mode, and I appreciate dark modes for both my physical eyes and visual appeal.
Overall, Amazon Music is a great app, it is pretty easy to use, but some design and usability issues could be developed better. I recommend the app, both the free version and the subscription. I am not too critical of the developers considering the rate at which streaming gained popularity in the last seven years. “In 2016, streaming music hit 251.9 billion streams and accounted for 38% of all audio consumption, becoming the largest share of audio consumption. Also, 80% of the U.S. population streamed music in 2016, an increase of 76% from 2015” (Vahid & Lysecky, 2019, Section 6.2, Para. 6). Streaming music is the future of music.
The front page of the app: the four icons near the top could be sized better and centered for design.
References
Vahid, F., & Lysecky, S. (2019). Computing technology for all. zyBooks.
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