This problem would be solved if Apple enables clicking on the artist name when in the 'genre' category (compared to 'recently added' category for example where it is possible). The Music app as of right now lacks the ability to click through your library for discovery (e.g. start in recently added, click artist, click genre, click arist2, click related artists...). There is just no flow and the bad Apple Music integration adds to the fact that you always hit a wall at some point. Spotify does this way better. Column browsers, however, are a thing of the 90s and I am glad they're gone.
Absolutely agree about the flow being totally broken right now! Music doesn't remember your place in albums, for example, when you open an album and then go back. Sometimes, you search something and open a result but when you go back the search isn't gone. Previously, albums used to open in place which was wonderful in album view as well as playlist grouped by albums.
I do not, however, agree that the column browser isn't a thing of the past. It's a brilliant simple way to filter thousands of rows by multiple criteria. As long as there's no alternative, and filter field isn't a real alternative, it will remain useful as the need to filter hasn't just disappeared over the years.
The way I see it is what causes the Music app to suck right now is because it's caught in the middle of three major changes:
- Integration of Apple Music: This was the first and started with previous few versions of iTunes where people faced different issues like their album art mixed, or track info being lost or just plain Apple Music getting higher preference than local library.
- Splitting of Music, TV, Podcasts from iTunes: This came with Catalina and perhaps it might have been slightly less disruptive for some if the third item here wasn't concurrently happening. If Apple had just removed podcasts and TV and moved them to separate apps, like they did with books, and had kept iTunes intact otherwise, a lot of issues wouldn't never have arisen.
- Marzipan/iOSifying: This come in Catalina too and combined with 2 is what's causing the most issues as far as UX is concerned. Not being able to double click on certain items, items losing colours, playlists not having icons, playlists not being able to be renamed, music not being about to filter using column browser, albums not opening in place, etc. have all stemmed from this.
I really feel they should have marzipanned only the podcast and TV app for now and waited for iTunes rewrite until next year with all these issues fixed. Hell, even release a beta Music app for those who wish to try it.