Work playlist Apple Music
Photo: Apple A list of playlists? In 2015, the state of music discovery has really come to this. Now that on-demand streaming is no longer a novelty, services from Spotify and Rhapsody to Google Play Music and Tidal are competing to out-curate one another. One of the main ways these companies are working to bring new music to the surface is the playlist to the point where these simple sets of songs now cry out for a little curating of their own. Thing is, with some variations, the types of professionally made playlists available on each interactive streaming service as opposed to radio-style services epitomized by Pandora are starting to become fairly consistent, too. Whatever your preferred streaming app, its a fair bet youll find mood- and genre-based playlists alongside playlists created with more of an editorial touch. Some services allow users to share playlists theyve made themselves; others dont, opting to keep the curation in-house. Since launching June 30, Apple Music has stood out for a particular emphasis on creative song selection by experts. Thats most quickly evident in the companys Beats 1 online-radio station, but its also true of the services 10,000-plus playlists. When Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, recently criticized the idea of a digital music service picked by a handful of elite tastemakers as out-of-date, media reports construed the comment as a jab at Apple despite the fact that Google Play Music hires its own human cognoscenti as well. Apple Music just happens to do it better. So what are the best playlists on Apple Music? Well, this gets tricky. The service recommends only so many playlists each day, and many of them seem to reflect what I already like more than what I might like. Still, with the end of Apple Musics three-month free trial approaching for many of the millions who signed up shortly after the service launched, its time to curate the curators. From Beyoncé workouts to reggae clashes, heres a guide to 50 Apple Music playlists worth a listen. 1. Intro to Alice Coltrane 2. Melvins: Deep Cuts 3. Inspired by the Beach Boys 4. Inspired by 808s & Heartbreak 5. FKA Twigs: Influences 6. Country Hits: 1952 7. Singer/Songwriter Gems: 1965 8. Family Tree: Parliament-Funkadelic 9. In the Mix: Carl Craig 10. Beyond the Hits: New Wave 11. Behind the Boards: Toy Selectah 12. Sampled: Art of Noise 13. Sounds Like: DJ Mustard 14. Reggae Clash Series: Coxsone Dodd vs. Duke Reid 15. Classic 45s: Early Rock, Pop, and Soul / Classic 45s: Punk, Post-Punk, and Indie 16. Best of Future Garage / Roots of Future Garage 17. Indie Pop Forefathers, Vols. 1, 2, 3 18. Songs in Colours (Jamie xx) 19. Shades of Cool (Lana Del Rey) 20. Best Synthesizer Soundtracks for Films 21. Songs That Predicted Shoegaze and Dream-Pop 22. Grime 2.0 23. Turkish Psychedelic Folk Songs 24. Best of Ghana 25. Brazillions: Excellent Tropicalia and Post-Tropicalia 26. Global Bass: Tecnobrega 27. Bowie in Berlin 28. Workout Like Beyoncé 29. Americana Troubadours 30. Jukebox Hits: Classic Blues 31. Movin and Groovin 32. Lets Have a Party 33. Soul Brother No. 2 34. Cinematic Soul 35. Year of the Woman 36. The Staple Singers: Gospel and Protest 37. Dylanesque 38. Opening Lines: 1-2-3-4! 39. Pop for Jorts 40. No Problem With Houston 41. Blue Note Records: Jazz Funk 42. If You Like Kind of Blue 43. Motown for the Whole Family 44. The 3 a.m. Drive Home 45. Daft Punks Teachers 46. Getting Parents to Like Noise 47. Its a New Day 48. Girls Are Saving Indie Rock 49. Surf Rock Para el Verano 50. Ambient Music: Studying |