We’re dusting off another long-lost App Store gem and attempting to revisit it, if only in spirit. This time, it’s one of Apple’s own: the sadly discontinued Music Memos.
The makings of a chart-topper.
What was Music Memos?
Think Voice Memos, but designed specifically for musicians. The idea was to help you get down ideas – fast. You’d launch the app, hit record, and start playing, singing along if you wished. Your flash of inspiration would then be captured for posterity, rather than slipping away the second you were distracted by something outside the window. And the best bit? What came after you were done recording.
Why did we love it?
Because it wasn’t just a recorder. Much like Voice Memos today can transcribe your words, Music Memos transcribed what you played. That meant instant access to guitar or piano chords. With a couple of taps, you could also add automated drums and bass guitar, crop recordings, tag parts of a song, or send your work to GarageBand for further development. This mix of features made Music Memos hugely versatile: a great educational tool, a powerful way for solo artists to quickly flesh out an idea, and a useful means to share songs with bandmates without anyone first having to figure out the chords.
Where is it now?
The app launched in 2016, but received few updates, and was quietly pulled from the App Store in 2021. It always felt like a labor of love from a small team of dedicated designers. However, it appears to have also been a product Apple couldn’t justify when it became the app equivalent of an indie band receiving heaps of critical acclaim from musicians but little love from the wider world. If you downloaded Music Memos back in the day, you’ll still be able to install it, but it’s sadly now crash-prone and several features no longer work.
Simple. Elegant. Brilliant.
How can you bring back Music Memos?
You can approximate it – with effort. Apple’s Voice Memos (free) is great for quickly recording ideas. For chord recognition, there’s the AI-driven Music Memos (free + IAP) – no relation to Apple’s app. And GarageBand (free) can help you build out a full track with automated instruments. But this patchwork lacks the immediacy, simplicity, focus, and elegance of Apple’s Music Memos.
The original Music Memos is unlikely to be reissued, but perhaps there’s hope it could one day be remixed. The concept still works, and with Apple’s growing investment in AI, it’s not hard to imagine a future where Voice Memos or Notes could automatically separate instruments and vocals from a recording, and transcribe chords and lyrics. That would be an encore worth waiting for.