Dear Microsoft and to who it may concern,
Admit it Microsoft, Xbox Music is broken. Yea I understand that the WP8.1 app is a preview, but it was broke long before this app came out. The WP8.1 app just adds the dung covered cherry to the top of a POS. Let me explain the problems, and explain what you have to do to fix them.
MY BACKGROUND:
Do know what made me so excited when I saw the first iPhone? It was a phone AND a iPod. No longer would I have to carry two devices around! YAY!!!!!!!!! When WP8 came to Verizon, I grabbed me a Lumia 822 (because I love the beauty of WP) and started the unending struggle to get the music I want on my phone. After many angry attempts with the WP8 desktop app I finally got my music on my phone. I grabbed an Xbox Music Pass because being able to download unlimited official songs for $10 a month was a good deal. Probably the best thing you (Microsoft) has done with your music experience.
BUT there was no way to add Xbox Music DRM songs into iTunes playlists, just wasn't going to happen. I am a Playlist guy, I love them, so this really sucked. Some time down the road you (Microsoft) gave us the WP8 Xbox Music app. Ok now I can make playlists on the W8 Xbox Music app and they will "sync" to my phone. Awesome. Not really, because it never worked. Microsoft not everyone listens to the #1 artists on the top genres, I'm sorry to tell you this because it seems like you (Microsoft) are completely ignorant about the issue. Now with WP8.1 the experience loses many of its previous benefits, while gaining very very little. The WP8.1 is SLOW, LAGGY, and sometimes just doesn't work.
PROBLEMS:
1. Streaming. I realize that streaming music is the newest "thing" because of Pandora and Spotify. If you (Microsoft) want to compete with them, fine do it, more power to ya. But Pandora and Spotify do not own a smartphone OS. You do. So the first problem with Xbox Music is that streaming music is the top priority. I don't have wifi everywhere I go, and I don't have signal everywhere I go. So am I just SOL in these situations even though I am paying $10 a month for music? Yes, as of right now I am. That example doesn't even consider the fact that most people don't have unlimited data plans.
2. Syncing. Wow did you (Microsoft) mess this up. The syncing problem is related to problem 1, putting streaming as the top priority. Not all the music I want to listen too is in your cloud, I am sorry if this is a shocker, but its not. You can not sync Xbox Music. If I change an album name in my W8.1 XM app, I have to delete it from my phone and re-add it. How are you ever going to compete with Apple if you can't sync music?
3. Playlists limits. I don't even know how to explain how stupid this is. On the W8.1 XM app I can have plenty of songs in my playlists. But for some reason someone decided to make the WP8/WP8.1 XM playlist limit to a 100 (I believe). That someone does not understand playlists, period. Again I believe this is a result of problem 1, because putting a limit on playlists makes it easier to stream? That's the only explanation I can come up with to why you (Microsoft) would do something so stupid.
4. Cloud music vs. Non cloud music. I have touched this above but it is it's own problem. It should not be this hard to have music from the XM store and local music in the same playlist. After many hours I have figured out how to do it, but it should NOT be that hard. It should take SECONDS, minutes even. Not hours of searching on the web.*
5. Poor apps. The W8 and WP8.1 XM apps are truly pathetic compared to iTunes. Granted the W8 app is years ahead of the WP app, but they both lack functions that are needed to manage music and both are slow/laggy. There needs to be a sort function in playlists, smart playlists (i.e. Recently Added, Top Played, etc.), and options to edit track data from the app. These are not the only functions needed, just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Finally I am not sure who you (Microsoft) have developing these apps, but they are not experienced enough. I am a Computer Engineer so I understand making a well polished music application is very difficult, but you are selling people a broken product.
SOLUTIONS:
1. A syncing application. DING DING DING. This would solve problems 1, 2, 4, and many more. I have heard Zune was a great syncing application and god knows why you (Microsoft) decided to axe it. Maybe it was because it was given a bad rap by iPhone fanboys? Maybe it was because the Zune mp3 player failed compared to the iPod (because around the same time the iPhone was released, so people said, like me, why carry two devices?) But Microsoft you NEED a syncing app.
2. Better apps. This is always "coming" but it never seems to get here. Get new more experienced developers and make polished, fast, and complete apps. As fast and polished as WP is, I KNOW it can be done.
3. For the love of god get rid of playlist limits on EVERYTHING. Just thinking of this makes me want to start cussing.
Eliminate those problems by implicating those solutions and then DON'T STOP. Xbox Music has a lot of potential. To the point I even believe one day it could make a good competitor to iTunes. I do enjoy using Xbox Music. Hearing a song on the radio and being able to download it for free ($10 a month XMP) is awesome. Having all my cloud music on my Xbox and any computer I go (mine = app, random = XM website) too is awesome. But you must treat a phone like a phone. It goes places, sees things, and can't always rely on data streaming. Stop treating WP like its a Xbox One hard wired to internet. And I repeat, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET RID OF PLAYLIST LIMITS. I have decided if these problems are not fixed by the time I need a new phone, I am getting an iPhone. damn that sucked to say, but music is important to me and I need a phone that can manage music. Period.
*Just so everyone knows, I found a solution. Or at least it solved my problem. A lot of my local music didn't have a album name. Because frankly they did not come from an album. When I added the music to W8, it put "untitled album mm-dd-yyyy" or something to that nature as the album name. Then when I added the music to WP, it put the same album name BUT a different date ( the date I added it to WP, not the date I added to W8). So the XM apps saw this song as two different songs. After adding an album name of "Various Albums", WP and W8 saw that it was the same song, and put the song into the correct playlist in both apps.
Admit it Microsoft, Xbox Music is broken. Yea I understand that the WP8.1 app is a preview, but it was broke long before this app came out. The WP8.1 app just adds the dung covered cherry to the top of a POS. Let me explain the problems, and explain what you have to do to fix them.
MY BACKGROUND:
Do know what made me so excited when I saw the first iPhone? It was a phone AND a iPod. No longer would I have to carry two devices around! YAY!!!!!!!!! When WP8 came to Verizon, I grabbed me a Lumia 822 (because I love the beauty of WP) and started the unending struggle to get the music I want on my phone. After many angry attempts with the WP8 desktop app I finally got my music on my phone. I grabbed an Xbox Music Pass because being able to download unlimited official songs for $10 a month was a good deal. Probably the best thing you (Microsoft) has done with your music experience.
BUT there was no way to add Xbox Music DRM songs into iTunes playlists, just wasn't going to happen. I am a Playlist guy, I love them, so this really sucked. Some time down the road you (Microsoft) gave us the WP8 Xbox Music app. Ok now I can make playlists on the W8 Xbox Music app and they will "sync" to my phone. Awesome. Not really, because it never worked. Microsoft not everyone listens to the #1 artists on the top genres, I'm sorry to tell you this because it seems like you (Microsoft) are completely ignorant about the issue. Now with WP8.1 the experience loses many of its previous benefits, while gaining very very little. The WP8.1 is SLOW, LAGGY, and sometimes just doesn't work.
PROBLEMS:
1. Streaming. I realize that streaming music is the newest "thing" because of Pandora and Spotify. If you (Microsoft) want to compete with them, fine do it, more power to ya. But Pandora and Spotify do not own a smartphone OS. You do. So the first problem with Xbox Music is that streaming music is the top priority. I don't have wifi everywhere I go, and I don't have signal everywhere I go. So am I just SOL in these situations even though I am paying $10 a month for music? Yes, as of right now I am. That example doesn't even consider the fact that most people don't have unlimited data plans.
2. Syncing. Wow did you (Microsoft) mess this up. The syncing problem is related to problem 1, putting streaming as the top priority. Not all the music I want to listen too is in your cloud, I am sorry if this is a shocker, but its not. You can not sync Xbox Music. If I change an album name in my W8.1 XM app, I have to delete it from my phone and re-add it. How are you ever going to compete with Apple if you can't sync music?
3. Playlists limits. I don't even know how to explain how stupid this is. On the W8.1 XM app I can have plenty of songs in my playlists. But for some reason someone decided to make the WP8/WP8.1 XM playlist limit to a 100 (I believe). That someone does not understand playlists, period. Again I believe this is a result of problem 1, because putting a limit on playlists makes it easier to stream? That's the only explanation I can come up with to why you (Microsoft) would do something so stupid.
4. Cloud music vs. Non cloud music. I have touched this above but it is it's own problem. It should not be this hard to have music from the XM store and local music in the same playlist. After many hours I have figured out how to do it, but it should NOT be that hard. It should take SECONDS, minutes even. Not hours of searching on the web.*
5. Poor apps. The W8 and WP8.1 XM apps are truly pathetic compared to iTunes. Granted the W8 app is years ahead of the WP app, but they both lack functions that are needed to manage music and both are slow/laggy. There needs to be a sort function in playlists, smart playlists (i.e. Recently Added, Top Played, etc.), and options to edit track data from the app. These are not the only functions needed, just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Finally I am not sure who you (Microsoft) have developing these apps, but they are not experienced enough. I am a Computer Engineer so I understand making a well polished music application is very difficult, but you are selling people a broken product.
SOLUTIONS:
1. A syncing application. DING DING DING. This would solve problems 1, 2, 4, and many more. I have heard Zune was a great syncing application and god knows why you (Microsoft) decided to axe it. Maybe it was because it was given a bad rap by iPhone fanboys? Maybe it was because the Zune mp3 player failed compared to the iPod (because around the same time the iPhone was released, so people said, like me, why carry two devices?) But Microsoft you NEED a syncing app.
2. Better apps. This is always "coming" but it never seems to get here. Get new more experienced developers and make polished, fast, and complete apps. As fast and polished as WP is, I KNOW it can be done.
3. For the love of god get rid of playlist limits on EVERYTHING. Just thinking of this makes me want to start cussing.
Eliminate those problems by implicating those solutions and then DON'T STOP. Xbox Music has a lot of potential. To the point I even believe one day it could make a good competitor to iTunes. I do enjoy using Xbox Music. Hearing a song on the radio and being able to download it for free ($10 a month XMP) is awesome. Having all my cloud music on my Xbox and any computer I go (mine = app, random = XM website) too is awesome. But you must treat a phone like a phone. It goes places, sees things, and can't always rely on data streaming. Stop treating WP like its a Xbox One hard wired to internet. And I repeat, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET RID OF PLAYLIST LIMITS. I have decided if these problems are not fixed by the time I need a new phone, I am getting an iPhone. damn that sucked to say, but music is important to me and I need a phone that can manage music. Period.
*Just so everyone knows, I found a solution. Or at least it solved my problem. A lot of my local music didn't have a album name. Because frankly they did not come from an album. When I added the music to W8, it put "untitled album mm-dd-yyyy" or something to that nature as the album name. Then when I added the music to WP, it put the same album name BUT a different date ( the date I added it to WP, not the date I added to W8). So the XM apps saw this song as two different songs. After adding an album name of "Various Albums", WP and W8 saw that it was the same song, and put the song into the correct playlist in both apps.
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