MusicSmart - Liner Notes 4+

Well done app

This app fills a giant hole that I'd have expected more music organizing apps to do - have fun and interesting information about songs and artists. The seach process is quick and easy. One piece of information missing that I'd have liked to see is the album(s) the track appears on, but this is minor. The only thing I hoped this app would be able to do is integrate with the Music app to automatically display info for the song that's playing. Maybe that's too much to ask, but it still enhances and makes the music streaming experience more enjoyable.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the review!

The Mac doesn't have the same APIs available on iOS/iPadOS for third-party developers to access the user music library. That's why MusicSmart on the Mac only allows users to search for a specific song manually.

To make it easier to see liner notes of a song from the Music app without manually searching, I created this shortcut that you can use from the Services menu. Please check out this thread to download it and to see how it works:

https://twitter.com/mactanaka/status/1515355083264995337

A helpful utility, with two caveats

I’ve only occasionally dipped into this app for detailed information regarding my music, so I haven’t fully explored all the nooks and crannies.

At this point, I can recommend the app, but I have to mention two frustrations. #1 may be outside the developer’s control, but it’s still annoying: Not all albums featuring MusicSmart data include the same categories of data or even much data at all; some feature extensive lists of performers/producers/engineers, etc., while others simply present songwriter credits. I’m sure this is based on what’s available, but I’d like to see both greater detail and greater consistency.

#2 is more frustrating for me: Before you can read liner notes or view MusicSmart data for an album, that album must be in your library. I realize it doesn’t require much effort to add a title via Apple Music, but it’s a hurdle that feels unnecessary. If I’m shopping for physical music, I’d be able to read the liner notes on the back of an LP or, perhaps, maybe even on a CD; why can’t I access information regardless of whether a title is in my personal library or not? That information could help me decide whether to stream, add in Apple Music, or purchase new music.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the review! Regarding #1, you're right, the amount of details depends on the third-party data sources MusicSmart uses, so it may vary depending on the album or song.

And regarding #2, it is possible to see liner notes without adding the album to your lbrary. To do this, open MusicSmart and tap the Search button in the top-right of the navigation bar. Then, type the name of the album or artist to search for liner notes.

Outstanding voiceover, accessibility, and documentation

Well, the App Store ate my original review. But there’s nothing else like this on the App Store. One of the tips in Help said that if you’re listening to the song, you can find a podcast where that song or artist is mentioned. Continuous play works by after you hit now playing it will automatically pull up all information available as you’re listening. You can customize what information is shown about an album under sections in the app settings. And all of these features are free. I just feel that real efforts have been made to make this app accessible and easy to use. Music Harbor is also a fantastic app.
I agree with the person that bemoaned the loss of the original information from the vinyl album covers. But if it hasn’t been digitized in catalog, there’s nothing that can be done to ever get that back.