MusicSmart - Liner Notes

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.

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.

This is a concept that’s been a long time coming. But serious aficionados and collectors will find it disappointing. You’ll find plenty of info on newer releases and for pop recordings, but what shows up on even very well known classic albums is often erroneous or bare bones. First, in spite of what some of the online reviews say, I didn’t find any original liner notes for any of the albums I checked on. And many, many famous albums that have sold millions of copies show up with generic or worse album art (Apple Music itself is much more likely to have correct album art). BB King’s Live at the Regal shows up with a generic “Electric Blues 101” album artwork; no musician lineups or songwriting credits on Pet Sounds or any Beatle albums. How is this even possible? Somehow, though, MusicSmart reveals accurate age, birth city and middle names for even the most obscure artists - not 100%, but for a high proportion of albums in your Apple Music collection. Search is an annoyingly missing feature. And, again, songwriting credits, which must be legally registered with every song still under copyright, are somehow missing. All that said, I give the app 2 stars because there is the potential, if the developers can ever link it up with a decent database, to provide all this info and more within the structure of the app. And the depth of info provided for a lot of newer popular albums is kind of amazing (sample sources for newer big selling hip hop albums is a really cool feature). Looking forward to the developers getting this one right in future updates, or if it finally inspires Apple to finally embed full liner note, album art and artist info within Music, that would be worth the $1.99 too.