Music has always existed, but the way that people choose to listen to it is ever evolving.

And of course, what would the internet be without a good debate?

Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music are the top listening apps among this generation of teens.

Their annual recap of the users’ listening habits sparks conversations and even heated arguments on the internet.

One big factor that most people, especially young people, consider is how much it would cost them.

“You don’t have to pay for Spotify, and I like the layout much better, plus it has more niche songs on it,” senior Daxton Heidrick said.

Though Spotify can be free, many agree that it’s not worth it unless you pay for Spotify Premium. 

While Apple Music is subscription-only, making Spotify’s free tier appealing, Gen Z’s preference for Spotify stems more from its strong algorithms, features like Wrapped, podcast integration, and, though Apple Music’s audio quality, Spotify commanding a much larger younger user base.

But for some, Apple Music’s audio quality seals the deal.

Both platforms offer Lossless audio, which is compressed music data that still holds the full quality and potential of each song you listen to.

Spotify’s quality reaches up to 24-bit/44.1 kilohertz, while Apple Music’s reaches up to 24-bit/192 kilohertz.

“You can get studio-quality audio and other features with Apple Music that Spotify doesn’t have,” senior Treyton Bazil said.

On Dec. 3, Spotify Wrapped hit millions of screens, displaying users’ listening habits over the year, and a vast majority of DHS prefers Spotify Wrapped over Apple Music Replay.

But there are a few features from Apple Music that set it apart from Spotify.

Things like a monthly listening recap, live radio, karaoke mode, and again, the higher audio quality.

But back to the big question, who had the better year-in-review?

For starters, Apple Music Replay came out earlier, on Dec. 2, while Spotify Wrapped debuted the day after.

But Spotify broke records this year; 250 million users in 65 hours.

Spotify took a more viral, trendy approach to their Wrapped this year, using modern design to capture eyes, and calculating what your ‘listening age’ is.

While Apple Music focused on more data and analytics, for people who care more about hearing about their listening habits accurately. 

Globally, Spotify is home to 31-36% of music listeners, while Apple Music has 12-20% of the music market, according to Demandsage.com.

Whatever platform you use, you’re bound to hear others’ opinions on it; as mobile music has grown vastly in the past decade, nearly 67%.