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JOOX makes local music streaming slicker

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Review: JOOX
Available on Android and iOS
Download free on Google Play and iStore. In-app purchases are available
Rating: 4

Music streaming apps are a dime a dozen these days, but there’s one that’s really impressed us recently. Launched in June, JOOX is a streaming service all about local music.

By doing serious research into South Africans’ listening habits, JOOX has acquired more than 3 million songs that cater to local and international tastes. You can jam to Drake, then flip over to Nasty C, play some Erykah Badu and then some Thandiswa Mazwai, throw back with some Boyz II Men and then some TKZee.

And, if you have no idea what you want to listen to, there are plenty of curated playlists on offer.

A spokesperson for the app says: “Our home page [the Discover page] features local content and any international content that mirrors the interests of our market. This may be influenced by local radio stations and trends on social media, for instance Tholukuthi Hey from Killer Kau, which was first available for streaming on JOOX.”

The way it opens, sorts its categories, plays songs and suggests other music you might like is just, well, cool. It’s weird how some apps you just love, and some you don’t. This is one of those I was naturally drawn to.

“JOOX comes with a plethora of functionality, ranging from in-app album and music reviews, saving music offline to save data costs, as well as rich multimedia experiences, including video interviews from local artists,” they say.

When you download the app, you get your first month’s VIP access for free. After that, you can continue using it with the Freemium option. If you want extra functions such as listening to songs while offline, you can get paid VIP monthly access for R59.99, or one weeks’ VIP access for R29.99 – it’s cheaper than Tidal and Spotify.

Our favourite feature? The function that shows lyrics for local tracks. It’s always been a struggle to find the words for local songs, and JOOX magically has it all.

Our only criticism of this app is that there’s no Shane Eagle or Loui Lvndn on there (yet).

Hopefully, the app will grow big enough to include all the indie and upcoming artists we love. Our tastes are niche, okay?

  • Wanna hear what #Trending is listening to? Our own carefully sorted playlist is on JOOX now. Simply open the app, scroll down to Entertainment, open it up and click on #Trending
Win a year's worth of data
Stand a chance to win a year's worth of data with JOOX and City Press #Trending! All you have to do is:
  1. Download JOOX by tapping here
  2. Create your best 20 track playlist
  3. Name your playlist #Trending20
  4. The most listened to playlist wins

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