Apple’s most talked-about product this month isn’t a gadget—it’s a list. The tech giant, known for its innovation, has garnered attention for Apple Music’s “100 Best Albums” list, released over several weeks.
According to Apple, the list, created with input from artists and experts, is “a modern love letter to the records that have shaped the world we live and listen in today.” Interestingly, these influential albums are predominantly by American artists and, to a lesser extent, British artists.
African representation is nearly absent, with Sade’s Love Deluxe at 61 being the only exception. This lack of diversity is not surprising, given that traditional ranked lists often exclude African artists.
To be clear, I’m not claiming that there are specific African albums that should inherently be included. Rather, I’m highlighting why this list falls short in its inclusiveness and overall impact.
In 2024, an era where streaming and social media have reshaped music consumption and criticism, such lists remain largely subjective. Typically, ranked lists favour long-revered music. Apple aimed to highlight contemporary albums that, according to its voters, have already earned their place in music history.
While these albums may not have the age of classic records, Apple believes they will be remembered as classics in the future.
One might find it odd that the list combines many familiar choices (Straight Outta Compton, A Love Supreme, Rumours) with an amount of recency bias (Norman Fucking Rockwell!, Un Verano Sin Ti, Take Care) but then again this isn’t unusual for a decades-old tech giant whose success has been tied to its strategic partnerships with the digital music industry.
While iTunes, the iPod, and their indie rock-soundtracked ads once had genuine cultural influence and imagination, this “Best Albums” project feels shallow by comparison.
Unlike the days when an Apple commercial could propel an underground artist to fame, the list’s selections seem predictable, bizarre, or self-serving—like the top-10 placement of Frank Ocean’s Apple-exclusive 2016 release *Blonde*.
There’s little explanation of how the list was created or its significance, aside from a vague mention of a “panel” of unnamed “artists, songwriters, producers, and experts.”
Despite the star endorsements and ensuing chatter—mostly complaints and memes about missing albums or artists—it’s striking to see a company once at the forefront of popular music culture now resorting to the most superficial form of historicization and canonization.
The goal seems to be spurring cheap discussion and getting people to press play, without providing context for why they should.
Apple’s cultural position
The ridicule aimed at Apple’s “100 Best Albums” list wasn’t surprising. It reflects Apple’s shaky cultural position in today’s tech world. Despite being one of the largest and most valuable companies globally, Apple is now facing more scrutiny about its purpose and relevance.
It’s not just the disappointment with the Apple Vision Pro, the overhyped virtual reality headset with high return rates and low sales. It’s not just the growing concerns over Apple products’ sourcing of cobalt and essential minerals from conflict-ridden areas of DR Congo, which also employ child labour, prompting consumers to question CEO Tim Cook.
It’s not just Apple’s much-publicised trade-in and recycling programs, which amount to little more than producing a lot of waste. It’s not just the Apple Photos bug that showed users their deleted pictures might not be permanently deleted after all.
It’s not just the company cutting iPhone prices in China as sales decline. It’s not just the late arrival of Apple TV+ to the streaming scene, followed by bundling deals that resemble the old basic cable model. All these issues and more contribute to the reality that Apple no longer holds the prestige, widespread trust, and public admiration it once did.
The company that once revolutionised advertising and computing is now struggling to keep up, trying to imitate those who once aspired to emulate Apple.
A bold move that sparked debate
Naturally, the first response to any list is to point out all the ways it’s wrong and completely embarrassing, so outrageous that everyone involved should have their hearing checked.
Comparing music across different eras and genres is impossible, making every list of the greatest albums inherently flawed. These lists are bound to disappoint everyone and satisfy no one. Half the readers will complain there are too many hip-hop albums, while the other half will grumble about all the hip-hop albums that were left out.
And that’s exactly what Apple Music wants you to do with its “100 Best Albums” list: discuss it, debate it, and even disagree with it. Maybe you were pleasantly surprised and liked it, or maybe you hated it. As long as you’re talking about it, Apple wins.
This was a stunt to grab attention and boost Apple Music subscriptions, which are nowhere near as large as those of industry giant Spotify.
It was also a risk. Apple recently apologised for a tone-deaf iPad advertisement, and this was another marketing ploy that could have backfired and sparked more criticism, as a list of the 100 best albums might as well be an invitation for mockery.
But it was also a flex. Unlike other lists, Apple Music’s comes with the features of a streaming platform. The company’s goal was to cut through the noise of online discourse and get people to engage with these albums.
