You already have play/pause in Spotify and Music. What you usually want is controls that stay visible while you work: skip, scrub awareness, artwork, and lyrics without Command-Tabbing back to the player.
That is the job of a now-playing HUD. On MacBook, the notch (or a floating island) is a natural home for it.
What “music in the notch” should include
- Play, pause, and skip for Spotify and Apple Music
- Browser / YouTube now-playing when the tab is the source
- Artwork you can actually see (disc-style or square)
- Synced lyrics beside the controls when the track has them
- Open-in-source-app when you need the full client
If you only want prettier volume and brightness overlays, a HUD-only app may be enough. If you want playback + lyrics next to clipboard and shelf, a hub wins.
We already covered lyrics on Mac. This post is the broader controls question.
MediaMate vs menu bar vs Notch Space
| MediaMate-style HUD | Menu-bar player | Notch Space | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume / brightness look | Excellent | Basic | System HUD covers flashes |
| Spotify / Music controls | Often yes | Yes | Yes, in the island |
| YouTube / browser | Varies | Varies | Included |
| Lyrics + disc art | Rare | Rare | Built in |
| Other tools | HUD-focused | Player-focused | Clipboard, shelf, widgets, more |
How Notch Space approaches it
Notch Space puts Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube in the island: play, skip, lyrics, and disc artwork without leaving your flow. Browser playback is included. Start a track and Music can open itself. Custom GIF or WebP cover art landed in 1.1.8.
Keep MediaMate if the *system overlay* look is the only thing you care about. Prefer Notch Space if music is one of several daily utilities under one lifetime license.
A two-song test
- Play a Spotify track, then an Apple Music track, then a YouTube tab.
- Skip and pause from the island without focusing the player.
- Check whether lyrics appear for a song you know has them.
- Decide if you still need a second now-playing app.
Download the free trial. Don’t run two music HUDs at once.