Variety vs SparrowTune
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Variety
Access authoritative and trusted entertainment business news from a global perspective. Stay informed with breaking news, award-season coverage, and insightful analysis of the film, television, theater, and tech industries.
- Breaking news reports
- Award-season coverage
- Feature spotlights
- Industry analysis
- Global perspective
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Variety is the most authoritative and trusted source of entertainment business news, recognized and respected throughout the world. Since 1905, influential producers, executives and talent in entertainment and beyond have turned to Variety for award-winning daily breaking news reports, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players. As the leading publication covering film, television, theater and tech with a global perspective, Variety is the vital read in every entertainment capital in over 84 countries. Privacy - https://pmc.com/privacy-policy/ EULA - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
SparrowTune
This app provides curated music business news, a job board, and an events calendar for industry professionals. It offers a personalized hub to track your activity and stay informed about deals, publishing, and tech.
- Curated music business news
- Industry jobs board
- Global events calendar
- Personalized professional hub
- Exclusive Pro membership content
- Daily updated content
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SparrowTune is the music business intelligence and networking platform built for the people shaping the music industry. Whether you're a professional behind the music business or an artist creating the music, SparrowTune is built for you. From A&R, publishing, distribution, sync licensing, artist management, and music tech to independent artists looking to connect with the industry - SparrowTune brings together the intelligence, opportunities, events, and connections you need, all in one place. WHAT YOU GET REAL-TIME MUSIC NEWS & BUZZ Stay on top of what's happening across the music industry with real-time news, stories, and buzz covering deals, distribution, artists, publishing, technology, AI, and sync. Get the latest industry developments as they happen, curated for the people shaping the music business. JOBS BOARD Discover career opportunities at major labels, independent companies, streaming platforms, publishers, and music tech companies. Filter by role, location, and salary to find your next move. EVENTS CALENDAR Never miss a conference, summit, showcase, or networking opportunity. Discover Music Biz, MIDEM, SyncSummit, ADE, SXSW, and hundreds of other music industry events worldwide. DISCOVER ARTISTS Explore artists from around the world and discover the talent behind the music. Browse artist profiles by genre, skills, location, and professional expertise, then connect directly with artists for opportunities, collaborations, and enquiries. YOUR PROFESSIONAL HUB Build your music industry profile and keep your professional activity organized. Track your reading history, saved jobs, upcoming events, and more - all in one place. WHY SPARROWTUNE - Built for the people shaping the music industry - For music business professionals and artists - Real-time music business news and buzz - Global music industry jobs and opportunities - Industry events and conferences from around the world - Discover and connect with artists globally Whether you make the music or make the business happen - SparrowTune is for you. Download free. Stay informed. Discover opportunities. Make connections. Stay ahead. Terms of Use: https://sparrowtune.app/legal#tos-disclaimer Privacy Policy: https://sparrowtune.app/legal
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: SparrowTune at 100% against Variety's 15%. SparrowTune also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). Variety's advantage is chart position (#185 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Variety sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $13.99 per month and SparrowTune sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Variety ships an update every 4 months, SparrowTune every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Variety | SparrowTune |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.7K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.7K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #185 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 47 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | PMC | Eaglence Technologies Private Limited |
Customer experience
Variety
SparrowTune
Bugs and requests
Variety
Reported bugs
21 issues- Articles don't open
- Can't read entire articles
- Only the first paragraph/sentence loads
- Articles Wont Load
- Only the first sentence of every article is displayed
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Can't use app without notifications on
- VIP+ Membership is useless on iPad
- Navbar too tight on iPhone 13 mini
- Freezes at start on iPad
- Doesn't have OneTrust data to show Banner user interface
- Impossible to Use
- Site keeps crashing
- Awfull app crashes constantly
- 50% of the time, this app just shuts down, out of the blue
- Incredibly slow and glitchy
- Crashes and stutters
- Very unstable on my iPad
- Keeps crashing
- Soooo slow. Problems loading pages
- Unstable
- Article disappears right after you open it in the app
Requested features
4 requests- Real Time Alerts Feature
- Dark mode option
- Advanced analytics dashboard
- Ability to access magazine issues for direct subscribers
SparrowTune
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Variety
- Variety Magazine$13.991 Month
- Variety VIP$39.991 Month
- Variety Magazine$139.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Variety VIP$399.991 Year
SparrowTune
- SparrowTune Monthly$9.991 Month
- SparrowTune Quarterly$19.993 Months
- SparrowTune Yearly$49.991 Year
