The next big thing in music steaming apps

Grooveshark is another kid on the music streaming block that is looking to take the crown of the established apps in the market. And it’s got a good chance of doing just that.

Search, search, search

Grooveshark is a music streaming service that is mix of free content (the radio service) and subscription. You find music either by searching for it or for looking through the popular tracks listed.

When you search, the results returned are grouped by songs, albums that feature either the group or song (depending on what you searched for), and playlists featuring this group or song, which you can then subscribe to. For example, searching for Imagine Dragons brings up albums not only that the band has done itself, but also the soundtrack of Transformers and Iron Man 3. This can be a good way to get recommendations or check out similar tracks. The list of songs is pretty comprehensive, and you can save them to listen to offline.

With Grooveshark, you can also choose to play radio according to genre or artist and then add songs to your music, favorites and your playlist – or just click on the smiley faces to like a track. The radio will then take your preferences into account the next time it plays.

The only problem is if you’re looking for new music inspiration there isn’t a browse feature that lets you check out different ideas, such as “music to run to” or “top five chill out songs”. All you can do is search for artists or songs and then see if there are any related songs or listen to the radio either of an artist or a genre you like.

While you can share your song choices with friends through a variety of social media platforms, there isn’t yet the option to be ‘friends’ with people of ‘follow’ them so you can’t keep up with what music they’re listening to or get recommendations. Although you can subscribe to other people’s playlists.

Easy, clean, attractive

Grooveshark’s major selling point is its simple, clean interface and the easy navigation that makes it a breeze to get where you want in the app and back again. The big icons make it a lot more attractive and intuitive than Spotify, for example. Music search couldn’t be easier as well; there’s a nice big search bar at the top of the interface and you can search by voice as well.

Playback is generally pretty seamless and smooth. There may be the occasional glitch or lag but it’s hard to tell if that’s because of the wi-fi connection or the app itself.

It’s music to my ears

The clean and clear design of Grooveshark is what makes it stands out. It’s an attractive app that is easy to use with great search functionality. With a little work on music recommendation and more of a community feel to it, Grooveshark could go far.

This program can no longer be downloaded. You can look for alternatives in Apps > MP3 & Multimedia Apps > MP3 & Audio.