SimpMusic

SimpMusic is an open source music player for macOS that uses the immense catalog of YouTube and YouTube Music as its main database. With it, you can listen to any song for free and without ads, plus keep playback active while you work on other apps or leave the program minimized in the Dock.

Continuous audio and automatic segment skipping

When you start playing music on SimpMusic, you can choose the audio quality and keep listening even if your connection changes or you're downloading other files at the same time. This app will keep playing without interruption while you switch desktops, open multiple windows, or work with demanding programs like video editors or development environments, so it's a great fit for long sessions on your Mac. Furthermore, it uses SponsorBlock to automatically detect and skip long intros, spoken segments that are not part of the song, and promotional pauses embedded in the music videos, which is especially useful when you've been listening for a long time and don't want to have to manually skip ahead.

Real-time lyrics and compatible fonts

SimpMusic also includes a system that synchronizes the lyrics with the music, allowing you to follow each verse in real time while you listen to a song. These lyrics are obtained from several different sources, including LRCLIB, native transcripts available on YouTube, and dedicated services like BetterLyrics, which significantly expands the number of compatible tracks. If you also want to fine-tune accuracy for lesser-known songs or specific albums, you can link your Spotify account in the settings to expand the available lyrics database and maintain a much more consistent experience when exploring rare genres or discographies.

Downloads and offline listening

If you often use your MacBook away from home, work in spaces with unstable Wi-Fi, or simply prefer not to depend on an Internet connection at all times, SimpMusic allows you to download songs directly to your device so you can listen to them offline. Added to that is a smart cache system that saves the content you play most frequently, so if you repeat an album several times throughout the day, the app reuses the already stored files instead of pulling them from the Internet. In practice, this helps you both save bandwidth and maintain smoother playback when you switch between long playlists, study sessions, or background music while working.

Library, recommendations, and Mac controls

The main screen of SimpMusic uses a structure that's very similar to that of Spotify or Apple Music, separating recommendations, featured playlists, podcasts, and stations by genre or mood so you can always find something to listen to without wasting time browsing. You can sign in with your Google account to import your YouTube Music playlists, recover your history, and keep your entire library synchronized within the same program. Also, the app responds well to the Mac keyboard's media controls and features a practical floating mini-player to change songs, pause the music, or check what's playing while you continue working in other windows.

My experience with SimpMusic

I installed SimpMusic on my Mac, logged in with my YouTube account from the pop-up window that appeared when I opened it, and in a few seconds, I had already imported several playlists that I use daily. I started by listening to a mix of rock and electronic music while alternating between Safari and a text editor, and the playback continued without interruption even though I switched desktops several times. Then I opened the lyrics view and was able to follow along, line by line, as each song played. I also downloaded a full playlist of instrumental music to use during a trip, and I took advantage of the keyboard's multimedia controls to skip tracks without having to return to the main window.

What I liked most about SimpMusic and what could be improved

· What I liked the most: the integration of SponsorBlock with continuous background playback, because it makes long playlists much cleaner and more enjoyable to listen to.

· What could be improved: the text scaling of the lyrics in some large windows, as with certain themes it doesn't make full use of the available space.

Download SimpMusic to listen to the YouTube Music catalog for free on your Mac with local downloads, synchronized lyrics, and uninterrupted playback.