By Sarah Pinkerton | Photographer

If you’re like me and have to find the perfect song to soundtrack every minute of every day, don’t start your drive until the aux is connected and don’t dare let your AirPods reach the zero percent mark, then you are no stranger to the hunt for the perfect music app. In my ~humble~ opinion, there is simply no comparison to Spotify in this regard.

Let’s start by discussing the social aspect of it. While making playlists for myself is one of my favorite hobbies — creating the ideal sad playlist, warm weather playlist and classical tunes for long study days — the joy of making playlists for my friends is a sure tie. Sharing music should honestly be added as the sixth love language because you truly don’t know a person until you know what music fills their Spotify playlists. Making playlists for people and hearing what music interests them is definitely one of my favorite ways to relate to people. Spotify is perfect for this.

Also, the collaborative playlist! Are you kidding! In years past, when large social events were common practice and not distant history, nothing hit better than inviting your friends to add their own songs to one big playlist for the event. All of the members are able to share the music that makes them happiest and, to me, this is another beautiful example of music sharing and connectivity.

Beyond that, the social aspect of Spotify is truly a *chef’s kiss*. Being able to follow and see what your friends are listening to is something I didn’t know I needed until I had it and is, admittedly, one of my favorite things to do.

Not to mention the PRICE, people. College students, let’s be honest, need to save every penny they can. However, I strongly believe, this saving cannot be at the expense of things that bring you joy. So thank God that while we’re in college, Spotify Premium is only $4.99, which, to so many, is beyond worth it.

Let’s also not ignore the big kicker of them all: the iconic Spotify Wrapped. I could talk about this with you for hours, but wrapped up in a few simple words: it’s the most exciting holiday of the year. At the end of every year, Spotify sends you a curated list of your most listened to songs, most listened to artists, genres and podcasts. It also creates a playlist of songs that you may enjoy based off this history.

These lists obviously flood Instagram stories every year, rightfully so, and I genuinely enjoy seeing a candid and raw display of the music people often listen to and enjoy. In fact, I believe it should be a national holiday. I genuinely look forward to looking through my friends’ lists, discussing what their lists say and how their pattern of music describes their year. It continues to be a true and candid description of their emotions.

Last, but not least, it’s simply just fun to make cohesive playlists, pick a photo to cover the playlist name and shuffle it for any emotion I’m ever feeling. This is arguably doable on multiple different music apps. However, Spotify, I have continued to find, adds a much more personal and social aspect to music listening. While many other apps try, none are able to match up to the versatility, popularity and functionality.

If these silly little paragraphs persuaded you in any way, it should simply be to enjoy music in any way that you see fit and feasible, share it with everyone around you, listen to the opinions of others and use music as a way to truly understand your friends and the people in your life. It is a game changer.