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Apple iTunes

reviewed by Lena

Apple iTunes is a music download site that allows users to purchase songs and albums. Apple iTunes works seamlessly with the Apple iPod - Apple's MP3 player offering.

Lena
08/06/2009

Apple iTunes 5

iTunes has been getting better and better over the years, but some of its best features are still a little hidden. My favorite tool is still the smart playlist feature, which allow you to create a playlist that automatically updates with new music according to any characteristics you can think of including song rating, date of last play, genre, you name it.

My favorite new feature has to be Genius, which, in most cases, creates an entirely fresh playlist of music I didn't know I liked or had forgotten about entirely, all from a single click of a button when I hear a song I really happen to enjoy at the moment. Since my taste in music fluctuates based upon my mood and what I'm doing, this is an amazing way to create a perfect playlist, instantly.

My only complaint about genuis is that it doesn't have enough data on occasion, and it works best as a tool to discover songs in your own catalog rather than for finding new music recommendations.

I also use iTunes rather prolifically for podcasts, which basically supersede the need for audio books in my life. The iTunes store makes it easy to discover new ones you might like via the sidebar recommendations they expose on each podcast page.

Last, and very much the icing on the cake without much practical purpose, their new audio visualizer is mesmerizing.

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FranksWildYears commented 112 days ago.
My good friend and fellow music obsessed loser Dave and I have an ongoing debate about tools such as the Genius function. Alcohol is usually involved.

He really likes letting it run through his music catalogue and offer up what he sometimes considers the perfect song, sometimes an interesting selection and sometimes a confounding match. He likes to speculate on what resulted in the choice.

I counter with the fact that he and I have been listening to music with a weird level of dedication for 4 decades and in the process have developed what we immodestly consider a level of expertise and taste that the average person must envy. An automated genius is effectively rendering our skill, no, talent to a function that a robot can perform.

You be the judge.

Lena commented 112 days ago.
I think in many ways you're right. Apple's algorithm relies in part upon the taste of the masses (who happen to also buy music from iTunes), which is why for eclectic music it actually works pretty well, but anything with broad appeal you can expect to get all the shit you forgot you had.

I wish they'd buy out Pandora or pay to license the rumored, but as-yet-unavailable Music Genome Project API, which does recommendations based upon a much more musical set of criteria that comes close to compositionally identifying a song or artist in a unique way. These designations are determined by experts in music theory, and their recommendations are pretty great as a result. Unfortunately they have ads and some weird copyright limitations like a maximum number of skipped songs per hour. Because iTunes does not, that wins.

To the point of your own expertise, I agree that's it's quite enviable. I frequently note down music and film recs from you and other people on RateItAll, because I think that's usually the best way of discovering something great that is entirely outside the realm of my own taste. Hopefully we can make that process a little less manual at some point :)

FranksWildYears commented 112 days ago.
(Edited 112 days ago)
Bingo. It is fascinating that technology is expanding beyond just algebraic relational calculations and starting to actually analyse music theory to generate something that looks at first glance like intellegence. But no high speed calculation in the world would find the perfect bit of Chinese Folk Music to complement something from Frank Sinatra's Only the Lonely. And no app will replace the value of word-of-mouth recommendations, unless that app is RIA.

fitman commented 112 days ago.
When they come up with software that would get the hardcore kids moshing to a Leadbelly record, call me.
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By the Numbers