With the release of Apple Music recently, Apple may be taking over yet another aspect of the music industry: streaming. Music streaming is becoming more and more popular, and with the main players like Spotify and Tidal accruing massive revenue, Apple has decided to jump into the mix. Offering a generously lengthy 3-month trial period, Apple Music is built directly into the Music application on your iPhone running iOS 8.4 and above, as well as iTunes version 12.2+. These are the reasons you should care:
1. The Apple Ecosystem
There are few things better than opening your music app on your iPhone to find all the songs you know and love from your favorite artists. Arguably one of the things that trumps this feeling is being able to find new songs and add them directly to your collection without ever leaving a single app. This is what Apple Music does beautifully, and when it comes to contenders like Spotify and Tidal, there is no substitute for the immersion and integration that Apple Music provides.
2. Offline Saving
Streaming music is cool and all, but what if you want to go on that awesome road trip where you won’t have cell service? Fret not, for Apple Music allows you to save singles, albums, and even playlists directly to your collection for listening offline. To be fair, Spotify and Tidal also offer this as an option, but they are only playable from those respective applications, not your music app.
3. Family Value
For families, this is basically a steal. For only $15 per month, a family or friend group of up to six can use a single Apple Music subscription rather than paying $10 per month separately. This gives large upsides with very few drawbacks. Not only do you get to share music with family, but you also get the benefits of maintaining your own music library. Your saved music is not automatically added to your family’s devices, meaning it is as if every member has their own subscription. The drawback, though, is that these members have to use a single payment method for iTunes purchases including the subscription cost. (There is a way to do this with friends! Split the yearly cost and use an iTunes gift card rather than a debit/credit card for the payment method)
4. Tailored Just for You
Through the addition of the ability to “love” albums and songs, Apple Music learns your taste. Whether you’re into Taylor Swift or 2 Chainz, Apple Music will suggest playlist, albums, and artists that fit your style. The more music you “love”, the better suggestions you will receive on behalf of Apple.
5. Worldwide Live Radio, Professionally Curated Playlists
You know Pandora and Songza? Yeah, you don’t need those anymore either. Pick a song to start your radio station from and you’re good to go. While this is similar to what Spotify also does, there is one major difference - Apple Music has added a live radio tab with 24/7 live radio hosted by famous entertainment personalities from around the world. On another note, Apple Music plays host to a wide variety of professionally curated playlists spanning every genre on the iTunes store.
6. More For Less
With Apple Music, you get high quality streaming, all the features listed above, and instant access to the entire iTunes library all for $10 per month. Spotify will also charge this, while Tidal feels entitled to a whopping $20 per month.
If it sounds like a great value, that’s because it is. Instant access to new iTunes releases, unlimited music saving, and more for less than the price of a new album? It is hard to beat that.
7. Coming to Android
Apple Music is not only for those with iPhones though, or at least it won't be come this fall. Apple announced plans for the Android version of their Apple Music application at their WWDC conference this summer.
What do you think of Apple Music? Will it be the new big thing in streaming, or does Spotify have that position on lock?
