App Review: Vevo

Move over MTV, Vevo is here and ready to take the music video industry (or lack thereof) to the next level. Back in the day MTV was once known as the home of real music videos and music in general, but things got messy and now it’s full of corny reality shows and rarely any music. The second they stopped airing new episodes of Pimp My Ride was the second I stopped caring, but I still craved music videos. Sure, music as a whole has changed with digital downloads and albums becoming a minority purchase, but people still appreciate a good old fashioned music video. Why settle for your computers choppy YouTube stream when you can have a premium quality music video application at the touch of your hands? Vevo is the music evolution revolution. I’m serious; it says it while you’re loading the damn app!

Vevo is the music evolution revolution.

Vevo’s sole purpose is to provide you, the listeners with a top notch application that plays hundreds of music videos from your favorite artists in a fast and organized fashion. Buffering takes seconds and when the video gets going you’re not paused for stupid commercials. Vevo also occasionally gets exclusive access to certain music videos from various artists, so there’s that whole exclusivity thing it’s got going for it.

I personally dig the hell out of the app because of its interface. After the 5 second load up you’re greeted with a home page that has crystal clear images of the latest artists or music videos. From that point you can click on what’s “hot” or you can jump to several categories, like videos, artists, playlists and more! Clicking on any of those options leads you to the most popular of that particular section. So for instance if you click on videos you’ll probably end up watching something by Rihanna or Britney Spears (yeah, she still makes “music” from time to time). You can however change the settings at the top from most popular to newly released or video premieres.

…you can scan a barcode which allows you access to specific videos or artists…

But what really sets Vevo apart from other music apps is a few features that can be discovered in the more tab. For instance, you can scan a barcode which allows you access to specific videos or artists and you can check out the music map, which uses your location via GPS’s and helps you find local music videos from local artists. There is also the always friendly search feature which will help you pinpoint a particular artist or video if you’re on the hunt.

This is a first class example of a focused app that takes a simple idea and blows off the fucking door. Vevo sounds boring when you describe it to friends, but its actual execution is brilliant. People might question you when you say that you’re going to Vevo to check out a music video instead of YouTube, but once they actually witness it in motion they will probably ask how much the app costs. The price of Vevo isn’t a problem because it’s free! I’m not sure why they aren’t charging anything for it, but from my extensive research I wasn’t able to find any restrictions. You can search and view however many music videos you want at no charge.

The price of Vevo isn’t a problem because it’s free!

The library is impressive and the layout is just gorgeous. All the images appear to be high definition quality. They may not be exactly 1080p, but they’re damn near close! Videos load up rather fast on simple 3G service and even faster on Wi-Fi. The only downside in the Android version is the HQ option isn’t really much higher of a definition. You’d think it would be 720p or 1080i, but it’s really just a nicer version of the standard definition video. It’s still a bit choppy and pixelated, but nothing you haven’t grown accustom to on YouTube.

The iTunes version offers a Vevo HD application, which I would assume means high definition, but I only had a chance to check out the Vevo for Android application. It looks great on a smartphone and even better on a tablet.

There is no catch or signup involved…

Vevo’s purpose is so damn simple, but the way it delivers its content is perfect. The layout has a dark and clean finish, with few buttons to keep you from getting confused. Its looks definitely give off a premium vibe and the functionality helps back it up. It feels like a full-fledged $5 or $10 dollar app, with some sort of monthly membership, but it’s completely free. There is no catch or signup involved, you simply download it and start rocking (or rapping) out to your favorite music videos. It loads quickly and comes fully stocked with a vast library of classic and modern tunes!

QUICK HITS:

• Controls: The usual, finger taps.
• Time Suck: The length of the music video you plan on watching. (2 to 5 minutes per video).
• Replay/Addiction Value: Depends on how often you view videos.
• Polish: Black finish sets off the premium feel rather nicely.

Rating: 4.5