May 13, 2024
press release
Apple Music celebrates the greatest records of all time with its first ever 100 Best Albums list
The 10-day countdown begins today with the release of Album 100-91, which features work from Solange, Tyler, The Creator, George Michael and more.
Discover, share, and follow Apple Music's journey through the albums that have shaped, inspired, and fundamentally changed music.
Cupertino, California – Apple Music today announced the release of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, a list celebrating the greatest records of all time created by Apple Music's team of experts alongside a select group of artists, songwriters, producers, and industry professionals, including Maren Morris, Pharrell Williams, J. Balvin, Charli XCX, Mark Hoppus, Honey Dijon, and Near Archives. The list is an editorial statement and is in no way related to streaming numbers on Apple Music. It is a love letter to the records that have shaped the world in which music lovers live and listen.
Apple Music will unveil the 100 Best Albums in a countdown celebration starting today. Over the next 10 days, 10 albums will be revealed each day along with a variety of content, including an updated 100 Best microsite, new exclusive content, and exclusive episodes of Apple Music Radio. The countdown will culminate on the final day with a radio special revealing the Top 10 Albums of All Time on Apple Music.
“100 Best brings together everything that makes Apple Music the ultimate service for music lovers: the highest level of human curation, our understanding of the art of storytelling, and our unparalleled knowledge and even deeper love of music,” said Rachel Newman, senior director of content and editorial at Apple Music. “We've been working on this for a long time, and it's something we're all incredibly proud of and excited to share with the world.”
“Putting together this list was both incredibly challenging and a true labor of love in the sense that we were all passionate about it,” said Zane Lowe, global creative director of Apple Music and lead anchor of Apple Music 1. “We were tasked with choosing the 100 best, which was a virtually impossible mission. But as music fans, it was great to really take a moment to reflect on the music, albums and artists we love in this context. If this list sparks discussion among fans outside of Apple Music and gets people talking passionately about the music they love, then we will have achieved what we set out to do.”
The first 10 albums announced today offer a glimpse into Apple Music's unique approach to 100 Best, representing a variety of genres with seven of the 10 albums from the 21st century, two from the '90s and one from the '70s. The list highlights contemporary artists who have helped define the century through their music and influence, including Tyler, the Creator, Robyn, Lorde, Travis Scott, Solange and Burial.
100. Body Talk, Robin
99. Hotel California, Eagles
98. Astroworld, Travis Scott
97. Rage Against the Machine, Rage Against the Machine
96. Pure Heroine, Lord
95. Confessions, Usher
94. Untrue Burial
93. Solange Sitting at the Table
92. Flower Boy, Tyler, the Creator
91. George Michael: Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
“These albums are filled with fun facts for listeners to discover,” said Scott Plagenhoff, global head of music programming at Apple Music. “For example, two of the records unveiled today were promoted without images of the artists, but for opposite reasons: Burial's Untrue because the artist was still working anonymously at the time, and George Michael's Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 because the artist had actually retreated from fame.”
Discover, learn and share with friends
To coincide with the list, Apple Music today also launched a dedicated microsite that will be updated daily throughout the countdown to make it easy for listeners to follow along. The new 100 Best microsite, available now at 100best.music.apple.com, features in-depth analysis of each album, archival interviews and more, and makes it easy for fans to share their favorite albums with friends and on social channels.
See records 100–91 of the 100 Best Albums on Apple Music at 100best.music.apple.com.
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Fans can also tune into the complete 100 Best Albums Radio on Apple Music Hits, with 24-hour specials from Apple Music Radio hosts and daily specials at 9 a.m. PST (noon ET), as well as exclusive content every day on Apple Music and Apple Podcasts on demand.
The final 10 albums will be announced on Wednesday, May 22, and a special roundtable discussion will air globally on Apple Music, featuring guest artists Nile Rodgers and Maggie Rodgers discussing the list alongside Apple Music's Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden. Lowe will also curate a special mash-up style DJ mix featuring songs from all 100 best albums.
Apple Music will keep the momentum going after the countdown ends with another week of 100 Best Albums Radio on Apple Music Hits.
All 100 Best Album winners will receive an award made entirely from recycled Apple products and crafted from blasted anodized aluminum and exclusive polished PVD gold. The award's back design is inspired by vinyl LP records and features the artist's name, album title and album release year.
Check out the 100 Best Albums on Apple Music at 100best.music.apple.com and check back daily to see the full list. Follow @AppleMusic on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X for exclusive content.
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