IOS mp3 player?

Hi,
 I just ordered an iPhone 6 Plus and I'll retire my first gen Android phone.
 
 There are a couple things I really like about iPhones but one thing that has been and will continue to be a turn off is the iTunes way of doing things.
 
 I am shopping for a non jail break Windows explorer type app for my laptop that I can use to add mp3s to the iPhone. There are a few and I'm curious to learn more about them.
 
 I am also hoping to find a really simple mp3 player app for use on the iPhone. I'd like one that assumes I remember what is on the phone and assumes that I know the name of the artists I want to listen too. I also would like one that isn't focused on being a portal to a cloud. In other words, I just want a simple player that plays locally stored files and isn't cluttered with suggestions for listening. 
 
 I'd like to be able to easily play mp3s without seeing anything but the collection that I know I have on my iPhone.
 
 I was scouting stuff at the app store, as I am waiting for my new phone to be fedex'd to me, and I was over whelmed with the number of cloud players that I found.
 
 It is unclear to me whether I will find a player that just plays mp3s. It is also unclear to me how such a player will locate mp3s on my phone. Will I just add the mp3s to the same folder iTunes uses? Or can I create my own "music" folder like I did with my android phone?
 
 I've heard nightmares about iTunes syncing options and how inflexible it can seem to someone used to open systems. I'll appreciate and tips on how to make the transition.
 
 My mp3s are either from my CD collection or from music produced in house. I have no practical use for a cloud or a online mp3 music store type service.
 
 Any suggestions?
 
 Thanks!

lawp
Curious as to why you dropped android and went apple?

To juan up me.
 
Why else?

I only use Spotify on my phone for music, but I don't stream anything. It allows you to sync your playlists to your phone via wi-fi and then you can listen to them offline. There is a limit of 3,333 tracks. I pay a subscription of $9.95/month. The sync quality is excellent, 320kbps at "extreme" quality. Of course the best part is being able to have any music you like on your phone regardless of whether you own the MP3's or not. No more fussing around with files, and best of all, no more iTunes. 

I have never really had an issue using iTunes to store the music on my iPhone 5.  I rotate music as some have mentioned so that the entire storage space on the phone is not taken up by music.  One thing nice about iTunes is that it creates a back up of your phone incase one is needed.  It is also a good way to do iOS updates when the phone does not have the memory space to unpack the update. 
 
Several family members have broken or lost phones and have gotten replacements from the insurance plan.  Having all the info backed up has saved us many times.  Especially if you need the contacts on the phone.

Question for the iTunes users: Any tips about sync settings? I bring music on to my android from several computers. It is my impression that iTunes sync does not work well with multiple and different collections of mp3s.

Thanks Dan,
 I've heard that if your libraries aren't mirrored and you like it that way, that an inadvertent sync will cause everything to be mirrored.
 I have about 60,000 songs on my "entertainment" center and they are all in artist/album folders that I have made over the years.
 I would like to use my iPhone with out introducing iTunes to my PC.
 
 I rip CDs on my lap top and bring my studio source stuff over on the laptop and then copy stuff to the entertainment PC.
 
 I have heard that you can turn off sync in iTunes. Yes? No?

If you really don't want to use iTunes, but want some of the benefits of syncing and using a librarian, I've heard good things about Media Monkey. YMMV.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

The iTunes program (free, by the way) really is not that invasive, and doesn't require an online account to use with your own collection of MP3's - it can import existing MP3's and WAV's, and can also rip / import directly from CD's.  When using an Apple account (free; credit card information only required if you want to manage purchases), the music service can search, identify, and tag your MP3's, or you can specify that info manually.
 
One really cool feature is if you happen to ever acquire an Apple TV and connect to your home entertainment system, iTunes can stream the songs and video contained in your library directly from your PC.  Streaming to Apple TV can also accomplished directly from your iOS device.
 
To me, some of the biggest reasons to use the iTunes program is it allows you to easily add / remove / organize your apps, sync music & app data files between your iOS device and a PC, sync your contacts, e-mail, and calendars with MS Outlook, and perhaps most importantly, BACKUP your iPhone to your PC so you have a recovery option in case of phone failure, replacement, etc.  This feature alone has saved my wife and I some anxiety over the years we've been dealing with iOS devices!
 
All of these capabilities are OPTIONS that you set one time, including when, where and how you sync, and can be changed whenever YOU decide. NONE of these options require using the "cloud", unless you want to - I do all my syncing only to my PC, never online with the "cloud".
 
BTW -
You don't have to use any kind of playlist, groups, etc. when using iTunes or the iOS MUSIC app - just select "Song" (top-right selection option in iTunes, or a quick tap at the bottom of the app screen), and your entire library shows up in alphabetical order, based on the title of the song, and nothing else.  This sort / display option remains intact until you change it.
 
And, iTunes and the MUSIC app both display the album cover, which is REALLY cool when streaming to Apple TV...