CTsoSongza

Songza

Written by: Cora Tso and Poi Kuo

            Music is an important part of every person’s life. Not only does music act as a form of communication, but certain emotional feelings can be produced and conveyed to other listeners. It provides us solace for our hidden feelings, whether they are feelings of love or depression. Music holds a powerful influence over individuals who are willing to open not only their ears, but their hearts to its rhythm. A crescendo or even a forte can change the entire feeling of the music from a soft lullaby to a passionate dance. Every note is capable of producing a powerful voice that resonates with the beating of our heart. Though technology is ever changing, music remains the same as the world continues to evolve. The access to music online has become a relatively easy task. Countless music applications can be accessed to find or discover trending songs. The overwhelming amount of applications may cause the audience to debate, which holds the greatest potential, but there is one application that has received an Editor’s List title. Songza is a free music-streaming app that can be downloaded from Google’s Play Store or Apple’s App Store. The unique name of the software already attracts the listeners. Even the mascot acts as an intriguing character that causes the interest of the audience to develop. Songza has been compared to music listening apps like, Pandora and Spotify, but its competitors fall short where Songza excels. Songza has become a very popular app in its relatively new arrival in the music listening world.

                        Songza has a unique format and showcases simplicity as one of the defining feature. The format attracts customers that roam the application store for new and entertaining applications. The songs are organized into playlists that offer endless streaming when connected to an Internet source. Each playlist falls under a category that is directly related to the activity an individual is involved with at that moment. Activities include driving, working out, holidays, brand new music, cooking, working, and, most relatable to students, college life. Searching by mood is another option to find the right playlists. Not only do the activity options change according to the time of the day, other playlists are brought forth onto the screen. One can choose the day of the week and the time of the day to filter out unrelated activities. The party category would appear on Friday evening rather than on Friday morning.

The accessibility of the different options is easy to understand and offers a quick access to the variety of music that is stored within the application. The playlists that appear after clicking on a certain category are split into separate boxes that contain a specific element in that category. The “brand new music” option contains playlists that are composed of songs that are currently trending. The trending music is then separated into genres that include “popular music”, “the biggest hits”, and the “top dance songs.” Within each genre contains three different playlists that can be picked depending on the mood of an individual. The playlists can then be added into one tab for future access. All the playlists can be shown on the screen when the tab is changed to the popular option. This option presents all the possible playlists that can be browsed to a user’s content. If that option does not meet the user’s preference, there is a wide enough variety to discover one’s musical preference. Songza also has the option of creating a music listening station with one’s favorite artist in mind. For example, if one enjoyed listening to Bon Iver, the search tab would provide results that are displayed as, “The World of Bon Iver.” These different stations are similar to the artist and the particular genre of the music.

            Songza not only presents the listener an enjoyable time while using the app, but helps one discover new music that is relevant to one’s preference. The option to like or dislike the song by clicking the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” button at the bottom of the screen will reconfigure the playlist to match the user’s songs. This choice allows the listener to become exposed to a variety of music. Songza also offers the listener the option to buy the song. This action is easily accomplished with just one click. In the upper right hand corner of the screen, there is a light gray shopping cart button. Pressing the button would direct the user to the listener’s phone or computer store to purchase the song. For instance, Android users would be taken to the Google Play Store that their phone operates from. In Songza’s case, it truly is as easy as a touch of a button. This is similar to iTunes, but Songza provides the links without having to copy the song title into the shopping website. In addition to the music buying option, Songza listeners are able to share their favorite songs. Also in the upper right hand corner, there is another button that has the widely known, “share” button. Should one desire to share a new song they’ve just listened to, they need only to push this button and Songza will provide them a variety of options like sharing to Facebook or through an email with the option of Yahoo or Gmail. The ability to share the song with other peers through the app is relevant to the fast moving world.

            The background color of Songza is unique and easy on the eyes. The purple gradient creates a calming effect that creates a sense of calmness. Not only does the organization of the activity categories appear as boxes, the distance between each box creates a sense of organization that is simple and concise. Most song applications have ads that appear on the screen, which can distract the audience from the content of the page. Songza however pushes the advertisements toward the bottom of the screen to prevent any unnecessary distraction. This choice is especially beneficial to the audience who are constantly bombarded with advertisements that may take up half of a mobile screen. It does not take the listener away from listening or discovering new music in any way. Songza does not contain unnecessary options that take away from the music. Most apps have a system to pay actual money to earn credits for the application. These types of systems cause users to pay more money to earn the credits. In addition to the free access to the playlists, Songza offers a sleep timer function that allows the user to set a time for the application to automatically shut off. This type of feature provides a great asset to users who listen to music before bed. Battery life can be preserved on a mobile device as well.

            The “My Playlists” tab is a beneficial organizer for the listener. If one is abruptly forced to stop listening to music and does not remember what song he or she was listening to, this is where the “My Playlists” feature becomes beneficial. When one ventures into the “My Playlists” tab, one is able to view their most recent music listening activity. This provides a chance for the user to recover the song that was previously listened to. In addition to the “Recent” tab, Songza provides a “Favorites” tab as well. Here is where one’s favorite stations and artists are kept for easy access. In comparison to other music listening applications like Pandora and Spotify, one is able to know exactly where their favorites are and can easily access their music if and when the time comes.

One of Songza’s most attractive features is the commercial free aspect of the application. This feature is what places Songza above all the other music applications. Commercials can take away from the functionality of the application. People live in a fast-paced world and have developed less patience for everyday events. The commercial free aspect provides the user with constant access to the music and will therefore pull the user’s attention for a long period of time. The disruption caused from the stopping of music often creates frustration, which leads to the deletion of an application. Most consumers desire to use an application that can satisfy their internal desire and maintain their ephemeral interest.

Songza is a unique application that has earned a spot in the Editor’s list. This is a great accomplishment and a well-deserved title. Songza is a significant accomplishment that will continue to provide satisfaction for the music lovers around the world. The simple yet organized structure appeals to all ages. The attractiveness of the purple gradient along with the countless customization method has created a new perspective regarding music applications. Songza offers endless music that can bring happiness to those that utilize an the app. Not only is the music application free, the advertisements are pushed to the bottom to avoid any distraction from the content. Songza contains all the possibilities that are desired from the world of music and is worthwhile to download.