Reading the confusion between iTunes Match and iCloud music library speaks tons of how weak iTunes and Apple Music are as a product right now.
They are are not clear to use. Not simple. Not pleasurable. Do not make you feel in control.
After months using Apple Music I just went back to Spotify and its simplicity is refreshing. The ugly Spotify, that's right. It's at least simple. Apple should wake up.
This happened after 2 hours trying to put an album into my iPhone through iCloud music library/iTunes Match. Nothing worked. Tried a lot of different solutions. I won't depend on them for that anymore. Now I sync by cable to the music app and use Spotify for streaming. Much better.
Has Apple fixed the problems associated with the initial release of Apple Music that led many to complain their iTunes libraries got corrupted? (Songs missing and/or duplicated)
I recently discovered this in my wife's library (Christmas playlist and songs missing). I've corrected the damage by disabling iCloud Music Library and reverting to an instance of her iTunes library file that predates Apple Music, but I'd prefer actually enabling iTunes Music Library for her if it's now safe.
But the question was not about Apple Music (for which you gave a good explanation). The question was about the difference between: 1. iTunes Match 2. iCloud Music Library
iTunes Match: Upload and "stream" the music files you have in your local iTunes. iCloud Music Library is the new term for anything you have in Apple's cloud which includes iTunes Match AND Apple Music if you subscribe to either or both. If you don't subscribe to either of them, then your library isn't considered an iCloud Music Library and you're syncing music locally.
"if you subscribe to either or both"
Thanks for that explanation. Although I subscribe to one of them, iTunes match, and don't see it, so I suspect iCloud Library only appears of you subscribe to Apple Music.
Excuse bug in editing mode that made my reply appear in your text block.
iCloud Music Library became a catch-all for both. In your iTunes Match library in iTunes, is iCloud Music Library checked on in General > Preferences? (I'm using iTunes 12.3.1)
The explainer for iCloud Music Library in iTunes says, "Stores all your iTunes Match and Apple Music songs and playlists in iCloud so you can access everything across all your devices."
I know when Apple Music launched with the iOS 8.4 update, some iTunes Match users (including myself) didn't see their Match music show up on their device. The trick was to turn on iCloud Music Library.
I have iTunes Match working fine on all devices plus Home Sharing, so no complaints. I have never subscribed to Apple Music, not even the free trial and I see no sign of iCloud Music Library. I am using iTunes 12. 3.1.23 and OS X 10.11.2 Beta (15C48a)
A minor annoyance for me is I used iTunes Match to acquire hundreds of high quality AAC tracks, that were DRM free. After turning on Apple Music, all of those tracks have been replaced by a DRM version. I'm sure some people would completely lose their mind over it, but in reality it didn't actuall affect me in any negative way, and now instead I have access to the entie iTunes library, and I've added about 50 albums to my music since it started. The cost and value of that can't be overstated. Apple Music is great.
A minor annoyance for me is I used iTunes Match to acquire hundreds of high quality AAC tracks, that were DRM free. After turning on Apple Music, all of those tracks have been replaced by a DRM version. I'm sure some people would completely lose their mind over it, but in reality it didn't actuall affect me in any negative way, and now instead I have access to the entie iTunes library, and I've added about 50 albums to my music since it started. The cost and value of that can't be overstated. Apple Music is great.
The fact I have never turned Apple Music on seems to be why I don't see this iCloud Library and I still can download the high quality DRM free versions. I wonder how long this will remain the case. I am apparently grandfathered in to the old system for now.
I would have to believe this benefits very few people. I know very few people who have 10k songs let alone 25k. Apple would do well to streamline its services to eliminate confusion. As stated earlier most users do not even understand what the different elements are about. All Apple would have to do is make everything available for a subscription price. Include the Match feature which cannot be used by very many people. Why would I care about my past library when I can stream most of it with the included subscription? Again very limited audience.
And since the introduction of some new iTunes features, I ask myself what is the difference between iTunes Match (which I have and pay for) and iCloud Music Library. I also have Apple Music, and somehow have the impression iCloud Music Library and iTunes Match should be the same. But so far I don't want to cancel one of the two, as I have the impression, I might loosing something. This is not the 'just works' I know. It's still rather 'just confusing'.
In my experience, if you use Apple Music and want it offline, you must use iCloud Music Library. When you do this, you are unable to manually manage music using iTunes, so albums you didn't purchase from Apple are unavailable. If you have iTunes Match, everything is available again. ICloud Music Library essentially forces you to choose to have Apple Music and iTunes Match, Apple Music only, or local content only. You cannot have the local content and offline Apple Music.
Looking at the above example....25K songs takes up about 240 GB's. I rip my own music to FLAC or WAV because I want the best resolution possible. I only have about 6800+ songs but they take up 270 GB's because MP3's take up way less room but sound horribly compressed. In a perfect world iTunes would offer High Res files as well no matter where they are being stored.
I would have to believe this benefits very few people. I know very few people who have 10k songs let alone 25k. Apple would do well to streamline its services to eliminate confusion. As stated earlier most users do not even understand what the different elements are about. All Apple would have to do is make everything available for a subscription price. Include the Match feature which cannot be used by very many people. Why would I care about my past library when I can stream most of it with the included subscription? Again very limited audience.
"Cannot be used"? It's useful for anyone who has a) stuff also available on iTunes Store that was maybe ripped at a lesser quality or b) unavailable on the iTunes Store but they'd like to access on all devices. It's not for people who only have content from the iTunes Store, or want to subscribe to Apple Music and that's it — which is why it's a separate product. I have over 56K tracks in my library, the bulk of which are not from the iTunes Store. A lot of it is not available in the iTunes Store at all.
So... This benefits me, as I've been unable to use Match since it launched due to the size of my library... though I'm wary about turning it on given problems people have had with Match in the past. May need to read up on how reliable it is now that it's been a few years.
Just because you don't know a lot of music collectors doesn't mean we're not out there.
@razormaid>; Thanks for the exhaustive explanation, which is, as pointed out by many, supportive of the confusing nature of iTunes Match and iCloud Music Library. In particular, as Apple certainly doesn't need the money from iTunes Match subscriptions. So why not simply include iTunes Match in Apple Music, and when you subscribe to the letter, you simply get some fantastic service – without all the other hassle.
But the question was not about Apple Music (for which you gave a good explanation). The question was about the difference between: 1. iTunes Match 2. iCloud Music Library
Ok here's the official answer - the ONLY reason I know is because for weeks now I've been working with upper management trying to resolve an issue with iTunes Match. But the question should be what's the difference between iTunes Match and Apple Music, because iCloud Music Library is used for both services.
So let's start with the difference between iTunes Match, Apple Music and why you need both (very frustrating I know)
iTunes Match = Stuff you own Apple Music = Stuff you don't own iCloud Music Library = needed for both
iTUNES MATCH: When turned on, allows apple to "scan" your music library on your computer with iTunes open and store the music in iCloud Music Library. By doing that you can uninstall ALL music on your device freeing up space (in my case almost 20GB). iTunes Match chooses three options automatically for recreating your library and THIS is the biggest difference between Apple Music and iTunes Match.
Stage 1: iTunes Match matches music on your computer with music available on iTunes store. This allows you more room for uploading music, because if 10,000 of your songs are available on iTunes Store then Apple makes an "alias" to that group of songs and doesn't require that you upload those 10,000 songs as part of your 25,000 song limit.
Stage 2: "Match" then takes the music (or versions) not found in iTunes Store and manually uploads them to iCloud Music Library. In our case since we are a record company that does custom dance mixes only available to our members exclusively, even though we've remixed 27 different Depeche Mode songs who's titles are in the iTunes Store, none of ours will be found in the iTunes Store because we can't sell to the public. So iTunes Match uploads ours because Razormaid remixes are uniquely different.
Our complete library consists of 5,737 remixes of over 3,800 artists so that fees up 80GB on our devices. And it gets even better. Because our catalogue is setup with each individual release, as a playlist, because we have 437 releases over the past 30+ years iTunes Match (via iCloud Mudic Library) uploads the playlists AND all the art work for each track including colored swirl vinyl and custom colored CD's as well as front and back jacket. All of this and I don't have to store a single song on my devices. I click iCloud music library "on" and instantly on all devices everything instantly magically appears. Totally cool!!!
Stage 3: Here's the best part. As Apple allows 5 computers to use one Apple ID, if you have 5 different music libraries - one on each of the 5 computers... turning iTunes Match "on" on each computer iCloud music library expands to include ALL the music on all 5 computers, even when the computers are not turned on.
***** APPLE MUSIC (stuff you don't own) Heres the problem with using Apple Music only and to explain this lets first look at iTunes Store itself first.
If the record labels do not have a licensing agreement for ALL the music in their catalogue to be sold on the iTunes Store (for instance EMI allowed apple to sell lots of stuff but held back the Beatles library because Yoko wouldn't sign off - I know her personally and that was why!) then those albums will not be available.
Ok so if that can happen on iTunes Store, to a record label's entire catalogue of record labels like CBS, Warner Bros, Polydor, etc... for music you can actually purchase, imagine record companies needing each signed recording to then be signed off on, by each artist for "streaming" and you see the up hill battle of "purchased (iTunes Store) vs "streaming" (Apple Music). Enter Adele. "You can sell my new album, but you can't stream it". Oh you thought everything in the iTunes Store was available in Apple Music? Not even.
In fact have you ever even tried to BUY something you heard in Apple Musi? To say "it's a challenge." would be an understatement. Eventually if you're persistent enough it will toss you out and over into the iTunes Store app, but it's not easy to get there from here. That's because they don't want you to buy - they want you to stream.
To make this easier to understand let's use classical music as the example. If you go to iTunes Store and type in Mozart Requiem you'll see 100's of different recordings available to PURCHASE, but enter that into Apple Music and maybe you'll see 6 different recordings. "What? You mean not all music in iTunes Store is available to hear in Apple Music??" No it's not! And there in lies the problem. Again I'm using classical music to explain this because it suffers the most in the Appple Music conundrum.
Because of this "mismatch" that's why you have to have both services. Apple Music for things you don't own (but limited to what the labels make available for streaming) and iTunes Match for all the things you own and have purchased from Apple too.
Now... On to the answer to your question what's the difference between iCloud music library and iTunes Match? See how that's not a question? iCloud music library exists BECAUSE of iTunes Match but it also is needed for Apple Music too
The confusion with iCloud Music Library is that although you must install it to run both services , it works two different ways depending which service you choose. If you choose both match and Apple Music best of both worlds. If you turn it off you loose it all.
This is because iCloud Music Library is an "either/or" service.
If you turn it OFF you can install your music and playlists found on your computer.
If you turn iCloud music library ON it wipes out your device!!! (Don't worry you didn't loose your stuff forever only on your device. Turn iCloud music library back off and plug your device into the computer and VOILA it's all back.)
Apple Music doesn't install anything. It uses iCloud Music Library to store your "virtual stuff". That would include custom radio stations you make. Playlists you make, etc. as soon as you stop Apple Music it all disappears. If you start Apple Music back up within 30 days it's all still there but on both Apple Music and iTunes Match after 30 days the HD is erased.
I I hope this clears it up for you. If not write me directly. razrmaid@aol.com
PS. The reason you can't find iCloud music library: in Itunes its an option to click on because it's a device settings option in music on your device iPhone-> Settings-> Music -> iCloud music library
to get to it on your computer click Accounts-> iTunes Match-> "renew my membership" thats where and how you activate and deactivate iCloud music library on the computer
I made an account not just to thank you for the detailed response, but to thank you for the awesome remixes. Been a big fan of your work since first stumbling onto your releases while working at KROQ in the mid to late 80s.
Comments
They are are not clear to use. Not simple. Not pleasurable. Do not make you feel in control.
After months using Apple Music I just went back to Spotify and its simplicity is refreshing. The ugly Spotify, that's right. It's at least simple. Apple should wake up.
This happened after 2 hours trying to put an album into my iPhone through iCloud music library/iTunes Match. Nothing worked. Tried a lot of different solutions. I won't depend on them for that anymore. Now I sync by cable to the music app and use Spotify for streaming. Much better.
I recently discovered this in my wife's library (Christmas playlist and songs missing). I've corrected the damage by disabling iCloud Music Library and reverting to an instance of her iTunes library file that predates Apple Music, but I'd prefer actually enabling iTunes Music Library for her if it's now safe.
I'm sure some people would completely lose their mind over it, but in reality it didn't actuall affect me in any negative way, and now instead I have access to the entie iTunes library, and I've added about 50 albums to my music since it started. The cost and value of that can't be overstated. Apple Music is great.
So... This benefits me, as I've been unable to use Match since it launched due to the size of my library... though I'm wary about turning it on given problems people have had with Match in the past. May need to read up on how reliable it is now that it's been a few years.
Just because you don't know a lot of music collectors doesn't mean we're not out there.