Everything you need to know about Apple Music, Connect, Beats 1 radio, and more
Apple on Tuesday launched Apple Music, as well as companion services Connect, Beats 1, and Apple Music Radio. Together, the platforms represent a major push into the streaming music world. Here's everything you need to know about Apple Music.
Tips:
Listeners who don't have something specific in mind can check out new releases, trending searches, or "For You" recommendations, based on algorithms as well as hands-on curation by Apple genre experts and collaborators like Pitchfork and DJ Mag. When launching the service for the first time, subscribers are prompted to pick favorite artists and genres in a bubble-like interface.
The service's content is typically accessed through iTunes or the iOS Music app -- effectively putting it in the same place as music bought or imported via iTunes. Searches do distinguish between local files and the Apple Music library, however, so there's still a clear line between the two. Results are further broken up into subcategories like Albums and Songs.
Because Internet connections aren't always reliable, Apple Music content can be saved temporarily for offline listening.
Apple Music costs $9.99 a month for a single listener, but a $14.99 family plan covers up to six people, and all subscriptions start with a three-month free trial. Supported platforms currently include any iOS 8.4 device, the Apple Watch, and Mac and Windows PCs. Sometime this fall the service will become available on Apple TVs and Android devices -- the latter representing Apple's first-ever app developed for a rival mobile platform.
One of the integral features of Apple Music is Connect, which lets artists share news, songs, photos, videos with subscribed fans. Although anyone can follow artists on Connect, only Apple Music subscribers can play and save Connect content, or like posts.
Unlike Apple's failed Ping service, Connect doesn't allow listeners to create heir own profiles. They can, however, comment on posts and share content to other social networks.
Free to all iOS users, Beats 1 is a 24/7 live radio station hosted primarily by DJs in New York, London, and Los Angeles -- Ebro Darden, Julie Adenuga, and Zane Lowe. Music is hand-picked, much like traditional radio, and mixed with content such as artist interviews.
Apple is also planning to incorporate celebrity shows, hosted by artists like Drake, Disclosure, St. Vincent, Josh Homme, Pharrell Williams, and Elton John.
The company isn't completely abandoning its auto-generated iTunes Radio streams, however. Instead the company has rebranded them to Apple Music Radio, and trimmed away some station choices while adding others. As before, custom stations can be created using a song, album, or artist as a seed, and then fine-tuning over time. Only Apple Music subscribers have access to unlimited song skips.
iTunes Match is only $25 per year though, and doesn't offer access to Apple Music's on-demand content.
Recently, iTunes head Eddy Cue revealed that Apple is planning to expand the size of iTunes Match's scan-and-match library limit. It currently sits at 25,000, but should grow to 100,000 by the time iOS 9 arrives this fall.
Tips:
- How to sign up for (and cancel) an Apple Music streaming subscription
- How to hide the Apple Music subscription service & get back Playlists parent menu in iOS 8.4
- How to follow and get updates from your favorite artists in Apple Music Connect
- How to save Apple Music songs, albums & playlists for offline listening
- How to request a song to air on Apple's Beats 1 radio station
- How to remove Connect from Apple Music in iOS 8.4
Apple Music
Apple Music itself is an on-demand service, allowing subscribers to queue up songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. Apple says the service is opening with over 30 million songs, putting it roughly on par with rivals such as Spotify.Listeners who don't have something specific in mind can check out new releases, trending searches, or "For You" recommendations, based on algorithms as well as hands-on curation by Apple genre experts and collaborators like Pitchfork and DJ Mag. When launching the service for the first time, subscribers are prompted to pick favorite artists and genres in a bubble-like interface.
The service's content is typically accessed through iTunes or the iOS Music app -- effectively putting it in the same place as music bought or imported via iTunes. Searches do distinguish between local files and the Apple Music library, however, so there's still a clear line between the two. Results are further broken up into subcategories like Albums and Songs.
Because Internet connections aren't always reliable, Apple Music content can be saved temporarily for offline listening.
Apple Music costs $9.99 a month for a single listener, but a $14.99 family plan covers up to six people, and all subscriptions start with a three-month free trial. Supported platforms currently include any iOS 8.4 device, the Apple Watch, and Mac and Windows PCs. Sometime this fall the service will become available on Apple TVs and Android devices -- the latter representing Apple's first-ever app developed for a rival mobile platform.
Connect
One of the integral features of Apple Music is Connect, which lets artists share news, songs, photos, videos with subscribed fans. Although anyone can follow artists on Connect, only Apple Music subscribers can play and save Connect content, or like posts.
Unlike Apple's failed Ping service, Connect doesn't allow listeners to create heir own profiles. They can, however, comment on posts and share content to other social networks.
Beats 1 & Apple Music Radio
Free to all iOS users, Beats 1 is a 24/7 live radio station hosted primarily by DJs in New York, London, and Los Angeles -- Ebro Darden, Julie Adenuga, and Zane Lowe. Music is hand-picked, much like traditional radio, and mixed with content such as artist interviews.
Apple is also planning to incorporate celebrity shows, hosted by artists like Drake, Disclosure, St. Vincent, Josh Homme, Pharrell Williams, and Elton John.
The company isn't completely abandoning its auto-generated iTunes Radio streams, however. Instead the company has rebranded them to Apple Music Radio, and trimmed away some station choices while adding others. As before, custom stations can be created using a song, album, or artist as a seed, and then fine-tuning over time. Only Apple Music subscribers have access to unlimited song skips.
Apple Music vs. iTunes Match
Apple describes Apple Music and iTunes Match as "independent but complementary." Both provide online access to personal music libraries, and automatically upload any local songs that can't be matched with content on Apple servers.iTunes Match is only $25 per year though, and doesn't offer access to Apple Music's on-demand content.
Recently, iTunes head Eddy Cue revealed that Apple is planning to expand the size of iTunes Match's scan-and-match library limit. It currently sits at 25,000, but should grow to 100,000 by the time iOS 9 arrives this fall.
Comments
Here's all I need to know....I just opened the redesigned Music app, turned on Beats 1 Radio and out of nowhere, one of my very favorite artists and albums of all time-Brian Eno's Ambient 1: Music for Airports. I haven't heard this on the radio since WXPN (Philadelphia) in the early 90's. I NEVER hear Eno on the radio...so cool. And to think that people all over the world may be hearing Eno for the first time. Very impressed.
Ok - Really. Stupid. Question.
I have iTunes Match. Do I really need it at this point as it says both it and Apple Music store your music in the cloud? It kind of sounds like I don't if I want to subscribe to Apple Music, but I'm honestly not 100% sure.
Mines not working for some reason. Can anyone assist please. I turn it on in the music and it still gives me this.
Mines not working for some reason. Can anyone assist please. I turn it on in the music and it still gives me this.
You are not alone - I am also getting that same error message. I am a current iTunes Match subscriber as well.
This is such a weird launch. People around me are all asking "Wait, what's the deal with Apple Music vs. iTunes Match vs. iCloud Music Library" and after reading several conflicting articles, I can't say I'm sure now.
(BTW I have already upgraded to OS X 10.10.4 - but didn't do anything to iTunes as far as I can see)
Mines not working for some reason. Can anyone assist please. I turn it on in the music and it still gives me this.
Not sure why it matters, but I read on another site that restarting your phone will make it work. I gave it a try and sure enough, it worked right away! Hope it works for others too!
This all sounds like BBC Radio 1. Comfortingly familiar!
Sure enough, that works. You would think the restart during the upgrade would of been good enough. Thanks KS anyways.
Trying to get hold of iTunes 12.2 which (I'm told by iTunes 12.1.x) is needed for Apple Music - so hitting Upgrade takes me to Apple iTunes pages that download iTunes 12.1.2 ... from any of the links that can Download - on the US site as well as the UK site.
And no joy from OS X App Store ...
Has anyone found out how to get hold of the new iTunes app????
Trying to get hold of iTunes 12.2 which (I'm told by iTunes 12.1.x) is needed for Apple Music - so hitting Upgrade takes me to Apple iTunes pages that download iTunes 12.1.2 ... from any of the links that can Download - on the US site as well as the UK site.
And no joy from OS X App Store ...
Has anyone found out how to get hold of the new iTunes app????
I think I'll wait to later. Same issue. Maybe the desktop version of iTunes (12.2) isn't ready for download. Odd.
Trying to get hold of iTunes 12.2 which (I'm told by iTunes 12.1.x) is needed for Apple Music - so hitting Upgrade takes me to Apple iTunes pages that download iTunes 12.1.2 ... from any of the links that can Download - on the US site as well as the UK site.
And no joy from OS X App Store ...
Has anyone found out how to get hold of the new iTunes app????
Same problem. I have iTunes 12.1 and there is no update for it. That is kinda bad Apple. Not a good day to glitch.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7103621?start=0&tstart=0
Just listen on iOS 8.4 simpler than through iTunes/computer - iTunes not updated.
"Hey doc, it hurts when I go like this." "Don't go like that." Simple.
I've signed up for the Apple Music 3 month trial here in the UK... I love that the $9.99 / $14.99 charge in the US has automagically converted to £9.99 / £14.99 respectively.. Was expecting a better exchange rate than that - oh, who the feck am I kidding
Overall though very impressed so far - been able to find all kinds of stuff.. may even end up subscribing..
How will this affect my carrier data plan?
I assume that streaming is like any other form of data usage (that is, while on LTE, not wireless.)
I already "stream" YouTube music (videos that I listen to with phone in pocket) at the gym. It's not as carefully organized a method, but I often loop the same one or two songs. Beyond that, I usually enjoy my music collection on my Mac, rather than on my iPhone or iPad.
Other than that, I already own most of the music I like and I prefer to purchase music anyway, so I'm not sure how I'd benefit from this service, though for those who are all about streaming it sounds great.