I Find My New Music on Apple Music Radio, and You Should Too

Publish date: 2024-07-26

Key Takeaways

With more music available today than ever before, you can be given for being paralyzed by too much choice. My favorite place to look when I want to refresh my playlists is Apple Music Radio. I always manage to find new music tailored to what I'm looking for.

Free Radio Stations

Though many of Apple Music Radio's features require an Apple Music subscription, the service still offers some radio stations free of charge. As of writing this article, the hugely popular Apple Music 1 does not require a subscription, as well as Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country.

You are also able to listen to local and international radio stations through iHeartRadio and TuneIn without an Apple Music subscription. FM radio is one of my favorite ways to find new stuff to listen to, and having access to it right from the Apple Music app is perfect.

To find stations, open Apple Music and hit the "Radio" tab then browse. You can also run a search for a genre, place, or topic. Now look through the search results for the "Radio" section and click "Play" to tune in.

Hosted Stations and Artist Interviews

For access to Apple Music Radio's entire catalog of stations and music-related content, you will need to purchase an Apple Music Subscription ($10.99/month for an individual subscription). The full library includes tons of content, including huge backlogs of shows from Apple Music's team of radio hosts.

There are also plenty of stations hosted by artists, including Elton John, Vince Staples, Dolly Parton, and more. With tons of shows sorted by genre and previous episodes available on demand, Apple Music's radio shows are a great way to connect with music on a deeper level and find your new favorite songs.

Playlist Shows

In my opinion, Apple Music's curated playlists make the subscription to the service worth it. Apple Music Radio takes these playlists to the next level, featuring artist interviews and commentary with each update. Playlist shows are updated weekly, and each new iteration comes with new artist interviews about the chosen songs.

I always check in with the Rap Life and ALT CTRL playlists whenever I am looking for something new, and the added context and artist interaction adds a layer of depth to the music. You'll find these on the Apple Music "Radio" tab.

Genre and Catalog Stations

Apple Music has a host of available stations based on specific genres and pre-made catalogs for someone looking for more control over what they're listening to. These stations are not hosted and play music from the title genre or catalog.

Unlike the other radio stations, songs played on these stations can be skipped and scrubbed through, meaning you have more control over what you listen to. These stations are great if you are looking for music specific to one genre or from one of Apple Music's massive catalogs.

You can browse these under "Stations by Genre" and "Catalog Stations" on the "Radio" tab.

Custom Stations

One of my favorite Apple Music features is Custom Stations. You can create a radio station based on a song, artist, album, or playlist, which will consist of music similar to what you've chosen.

To create a station, click or tap the three dots next to the song, album, or artist you want to use to seed the station, and select "Create Playlist". This station will not only play music from the same artist or album, but music from similar artists that you might also enjoy. I love this feature when I'm trying to hear more from an artist I like, or songs similar to one I currently have on repeat.

There are also a handful of personal stations, including "New Music Mix" and a station named after you, and a personalized station that uses all of your favorite songs on Apple Music. and as well as playing them, plays music similar to what you've previously listened to.

You can find this station under the "Home" tab of Apple Music, labeled with your name. I listen to this station more than any other, as it brings all of my music together and gives me recommendations from all of my favorite genres.

You can also check out your Apple Music Replay stations, which are playlists generated based on your most-played songs in a year.

Apple Music Radio is an often overlooked feature of the Apple Music service, but it has helped me find some of my all-time favorite songs and artists. If you have a subscription and are tired of your current playlist, it is definitely worth checking out.

Remember that you can listen to Apple Music on a Windows PC as well as your Mac, iPhone, iPad, web, and many streaming devices.

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