On May 13th, 2024, Apple Music revealed the lowest placements (#91-#100) for their list of the best albums of all time. As the list rolled out, the reception and backlash grew to be more negative over time from both critics and fans. Publications such as Variety and Wall Street Journal described the list as a stunt to sell subscriptions, and to make people upset.
Apple Music’s list wasn’t great, and had a lot of standout issues, for example: the list itself lacks a lot of diversity, especially in terms of genres. Genres such as metal, punk, country, and jazz are under-represented, with only one or two albums from these genres being put on the list. Making a best list with 100 albums is not easy, but there are many acclaimed albums that could have been included, such as loveless by My Bloody Valentine for shoegaze, Paranoid by Black Sabbath for heavy metal, and Karma by Pharoah Sanders for jazz, as all of these albums are some of the best and most acclaimed from their genres, while also influencing and expanding the sounds of their genres. Apple also plays it safe with a lot of their choices, with not much experimental music besides Bjork, Kate Bush and The Velvet Underground. Apple’s list is very noticeably English-centric, almost all of the albums are sung in English, with the only non English speaking album being Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny.
One way Apple could’ve had a better list is by including more non English speaking artists. Artists such as Parannoul, Rosalia, Ichiko Aoba, Midori and Fishmans are artists who have made amazing, ground-breaking work. We also could have had more experimental albums and artists on this list such as SOPHIE, Aphex Twin, Grimes, Arca, Death Grips, Danny Brown, JPEGMafia and more.
Despite all of its flaws, Apple Music did have some good standout picks, on their list. Untrue by Burial is a standout pick, being ranked at number #94. Despite being critically acclaimed, Untrue is still a more underrated record compared to other acclaimed electronic albums. Apple also nails it with artist picks like Lorde, Travis Scott, Tyler, the Creator, but definitely chooses the wrong albums for them; Apple chooses Pure Heroine, ASTROWORLD and Flower Boy for all three artists, even though these are not their best works. Albums like Melodrama, Rodeo and IGOR are more impactful and influential records, even though they are not as commercially successful or popular as the picks they chose for the official list.
Looking back almost 2 years later, the backlash and negative reception towards Apple Music’s 100 Best Album list was mostly justified. The list itself is very Anglo-centric, and very safe, with not many “niche” or experimental choices that can be a part of Apple’s list.
