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Apple officially introduces its Apple Music streaming service at WWDC, coming June 30 for $9.99 after 3 month trial

Apple-Music

Roughly one year after spending $3 billion to acquire Beats, a speaker and headphone company cofounded by music industry veterans Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Apple has officially revealed its all-new streaming music service built on that massive acquisition. Apple Music, as we first reported the subscription music service would be called, is the company’s answer to on-demand music services like Spotify. As part of the 2014 acquisition, Apple gained its own subscription music competitor in Beats Music, although the new Apple Music service is the company’s first to be built by the Cupertino company. Details below:

Apple-Music-01

– Apple Music announced…

– Jimmy Iovine on stage presenting for the first time since joining the company

– Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and Beats Music CTO doing voice over for intro video, has title Apple Creative

– 24/7 worldwide radio station in over 100 countries, Beats 1, anchored by Zane Lowe and others

– Artist Connect feature for sharing photos, lyrics, sound bites, more

– New app icon for Music

Apple-Music-05

– Iovine says it’s three things beginning with a revolutionary music service thanks to human curating, not computer algorithms for programming playlists

– Next is 24/7 global radio, broadcasts from three cities: Beats 1

– Last is connecting fans with artists, which it calls Connect

– Social features available to unsigned artists, not just majors

Apple-Music

– Eddy Cue taking stage to talk about the specifics…

– Single app for iTunes-purchased music and Apple Music

– New ‘For You’ tab recommends playlists and albums based on your taste

– New ‘New’ tab recommends recently released material based on your likes

Apple-Music-My-Music-app-05

– Beats 1 headed by Zane Lowe, broadcasted from New York (Ebro Darden), LA (Lowe), and London (Julie Adenuga)

– Artists building radio shows for Beats 1

– Artists Connect will allow artists to share photos, lyrics, sound clips of music

– Material can go to Facebook, Twitter, and artist web sites

– Rapper Drake invited on stage to demo

Screen Shot 2015-06-08 at 2.02.14 PM

– Drake describing the potential of Connect for artists and fans, cites success of last mix tape that was released directly to iTunes

– Eddy Cue now demoing service as Apple has released details on Apple Music

– Coming June 30th in 100+ countries for $9.99/month after 3-month trial

– Family plan for up to 6 users for $14.99/month using Family Sharing

– Will be available on Android and Apple TV in the fall

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple® today unveiled Apple Music™, a single, intuitive app that combines the best ways to enjoy music — all in one place. Apple Music is a revolutionary streaming music service, a pioneering worldwide live radio station from Apple broadcasting 24 hours a day and a great new way for music fans to connect with their favorite artists. Apple Music combines the largest and most diverse collection of music on the planet with the expertise of world-class music experts who have programmed playlists for your iPhone®, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac®, PC, Apple TV® and Android phones.* Apple Music will be available starting on June 30 in over 100 countries.

“Apple Music is really going to move the needle for fans and artists”

“We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan’s fingertips,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app — a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.”

“Apple Music is really going to move the needle for fans and artists,” said Jimmy Iovine. “Online music has become a complicated mess of apps, services and websites. Apple Music brings the best features together for an experience every music lover will appreciate.”

Apple Music

Apple Music is a revolutionary streaming service and app that puts the entire Apple Music catalog at your fingertips across your favorite devices. Starting with the music you already know — whether from the iTunes Store® or ripped CDs — your music now lives in one place alongside the Apple Music catalog with over 30 million songs. You can stream any song, album or playlist you choose — or better yet, let Apple Music do the work for you.

Curation is the soul of every playlist created on Apple Music. Apple has hired the most talented music experts from around the world, dedicated to creating the perfect playlists based on your preferences, and they become better curators the more you listen. The “For You” section of Apple Music provides a fresh mix of albums, new releases and playlists, which have been personalized just for you.

In addition to human curation, Siri® is also dedicated to helping you enjoy great music and have fun with Apple Music. Ask Siri to, “Play me the best songs from 1994,” “Play the best FKA twigs song,” or “What was the number one song in February 2011?”

Apple Music Radio

Beats 1℠, Apple’s first ever live radio station dedicated entirely to music and music culture, will broadcast live to over 100 countries. Beats 1 is a 24-hour listening experience led by influential DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. Listeners around the globe will hear the same great programming at the same time. Exciting programs on Beats 1 will offer exclusive interviews, guest hosts and the best of what’s going on in the world of music.

Apple has also redesigned radio with human curation taking the lead. Apple Music Radio gives you stations created by some of the world’s finest radio DJs. The new stations range in genres from indie rock to classical and folk to funk, with each one expertly curated. With membership, you can skip as many songs as you like, so you can change the tune without changing the dial.

Apple Music Connect

Artists and fans now have an incredible way to connect with one another directly in Apple Music with Connect. Through Connect, artists can share lyrics, backstage photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fans directly from their iPhone. Fans can comment on or like anything an artist has posted, and share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter and email. And when you comment, the artist can respond directly to you.

Pricing & Availability

Starting on June 30, music fans around the world are invited to a 3-month free membership, after which a $9.99/month subscription fee will apply. There will also be a family plan providing service for up to six family members available for just $14.99/month.

Requires initial sign up. At the end of the trial period, the membership will automatically renew and payment method will be charged on a monthly basis until auto-renewal is turned off in account settings. Family plan requires iCloud® Family Sharing. See www.apple.com/icloud/family-sharing for more information.

*Apple Music is available on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC starting June 30. Apple Music will be coming to Apple TV and Android phones this fall.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple’s three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

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Comments

  1. bwulfe - 9 years ago

    Jimmy Iovine has to be one of the WORST presenters ever at an Apple Keynote. Is it possible to speak without screaming every word?

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      His hearing is gone. He needs a monitor to hear himself talk.

      I thought Drake was an idiot. He didn’t add any value.

      • friarnurgle - 9 years ago

        Trent Reznor was awesome though. He’s like an evil Jony Ive.

      • j0hnf23 - 9 years ago

        how do you know that? Is this a true story?

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        Oh come on. Trent didn’t add any value. It’s just because he’s a pop guy that’s somewhat famous. I certainly hope they improve the iTunes app to be a better music server app. That’s all I care about. The concept of curated music to me is silly. Having a radio station that’s only going to play certain genres of music I don’t even listen to is of no value to me.

        This is a disspointment. I hate to say this because I can’t stand JayZ, but I think Tidal might be the best out of the subscription services, but I’m not going to use Tidal unless JayZ is out of the picture, so I’ll just buy the content I want to listen to in the best format I can get it in and do it the old fashioned way, that’s what works for me.

      • crichton007 - 9 years ago

        Iovine was… interesting… but Drake and even Eddie Cue were incoherent. OK, Drake was rambling and incoherent while Eddie came across as unrehearsed.

  2. Great – the 24/7 show is called Beats One.

    Can’t wait to hear people shouting Beats One Off into their Apple Watch on the train soon.

  3. gkbrown - 9 years ago

    So now we’ll have three music apps on the phone? Music, Apple Music, and iTunes Store? Seems kinda confusing to me…I’d prefer to see them consolidated into a single app.

    • gkbrown - 9 years ago

      OK, I see – the new Music app consolidates the new streaming service and your music library into a single app. But what about iTunes Store? Is that still a separate app?

      • fervidly - 9 years ago

        Yep. So that you can buy music from there.

      • J.latham - 9 years ago

        It is for people who don’t want the streaming service and other media like movies and TV.

      • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

        It was very confusing having three apps but two now is fine. People understand what iTunes is.

      • gkbrown - 9 years ago

        I’d prefer a single app for storing and purchasing music, like iTunes on the Mac. Why should I have to buy music in one app and then switch to another one to listen to it?

  4. Nathan Roth - 9 years ago

    Ugh, no word on Sonos integration…….

  5. So what does all this mean for those of us who already own all the music we listen to and don’t care about all this music they’re showing off (I assume all these examples are real, though if they were just fake and set up for the demo I wouldn’t know) and already pay for iTunes Match?

    • Mark Hamilton - 9 years ago

      Take a look at Apple’s webpage for this, looks like iTunes Match is being integrated into this… http://www.apple.com/music/discover/

      • Mark Hamilton - 9 years ago

        My apologies, I spoke too soon. iTunes Match will still exist as a separate product for people who do not wish to subscribe to Music (I assume).

      • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

        Yep.

    • friarnurgle - 9 years ago

      What you get with Apple Music:
      1. Beats Radio (better not have ads)
      2. Streaming any song from the iTunes catalog
      3. Access to crap artists will post
      4. Some sort of curated recommended suggestions/playlist/whatever
      5. Some sort of social interaction with fiends/community/artists

      What you get with iTunes Match:
      1. Back up of your music library able to play on any Apple device via the cloud
      2. No idea about any Apple Music features

      What you get for free:
      1. No idea about any Apple Music features

      What happens to Beats app, iTunes Radio, etc:
      1. No idea but I’d wager they are going away.

      • jxslepton - 9 years ago

        I think you get:
        – Live Apple Radio
        – Apple’s catalog but with Spotify’s features
        – Apples’ version of Soundcloud

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      I’m in the same boat, I have a an extensive digital library that I sort into playlists, etc. onto my phone. But if you’re looking for a silver lining, this service is the future of music for all of us and it’s only going to grow and become more integrated with our digital libraries. Something important to remember is this service will be free, including Beats 1, artist feeds, and station (with limited skips), for anyone forever. The paid model is the premium.

  6. rsteinla - 9 years ago

    I used to get iTunes Radio for commercial free with my iTunes Match subscription. They have now turned iTunes Radio into Apple Music…….I’m not getting that for free, am I?

    • J.latham - 9 years ago

      You may still get radio for free but I doubt it or that Match will even still be there.

      • rsteinla - 9 years ago

        what gives you the impression that Match is going away? Match is a great service that allows me to, amongst other things, keep a backup of my music collection on a 3rd party server that I can access from anywhere. I don’t see what that has to do with their new service.

      • Evan - 9 years ago

        This is the upgraded iTunes Radio.

    • They did not turn iTunes Radio into Apple Music. iTunes Radio wasn’t talked about at all here. It may still be available as a separate app.

      • rsteinla - 9 years ago

        you really think they’re going to keep a service like Radio after they basically just made fun of how it’s nonsense to play songs that don’t correlate to the previous one in “mood”?

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      They didn’t mention that. We’ll probably find out soon, but I would guess you do.
      Is there a subscription model of iTunes Radio, or is it free for everyone, with ads, and without ads to Match users?

      • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

        It was free and is going the way of the dodo would be my guess.

      • Evan - 9 years ago

        Confirmed. Apple Music will be a separate, full charge. Apple Music includes iTunes Radio so it will be no more in its current form.

        “Does Apple Music work with iTunes Match?”
        “Yes. Apple Music and iTunes Match are independent but complementary.”

        http://www.apple.com/music/membership/

      • Jassi Sikand - 9 years ago

        Evan, it’s not a completely separate charge though. It depends on what you want Match for. If you paid for Match just to get commercial-free, you do not have to pay for it any longer as Apple Music is commercial-free. If you paid for Match to get ripped songs to iTunes-quality, then yes you will have to pay for both.

  7. bunim1 - 9 years ago

    What happens to iTunes Radio?

  8. JERSH (@oriyentel) - 9 years ago

    how does pricing work for those of us who already have iTunes Match subscriptions? As of now, iTunes Radio comes included in that annual price. Does this change with music? I’d be really upset if I’d have to pay for another another subscription service…..especially one that I don’t necessarily see myself using all that much.

  9. Alex Marques - 9 years ago

    what font is that for “music”

  10. friarnurgle - 9 years ago

    We’ll give the family plan a try. I don’t really give a hoot about the social aspect of it or artists posting crap. Just want music… a darker UI or night mode would be nice though.

  11. chrisl84 - 9 years ago

    Apple’s need to be “hip” is destroying them. So annoying to see Drake and Dr. Dre cheapening an amazing brand called Apple.

    • J.latham - 9 years ago

      I found Drake and Reznor to be interesting and understandable. Drake seemed very humbled to explain what Connect can do for emerging artists. Iovine on the other hand…

    • charismatron - 9 years ago

      If you think Apple hasn’t looked at the demographics they are hitting with both the artists you mention, you’d be wrong. Who they select to represent the brand is carefully thought out and executed to leverage cultural impact, popularity, and profitability.

      You’re distaste for the artists (I am not familiar with either of them, fwiw) has no impact on these facts.

      • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

         can do no wrong (says you)

      • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

        Oh what bull, Apple’s marketing has been weak for a LONG time. They shifted from very classy commercials to now drake grabbing his crotch to sell the Apple Watch. Think what you will but the urban youth arent buying a 10 buck a month service.

      • charismatron - 9 years ago

        Irelandjr, try reading what I wrote, which is that Apple isn’t going to use stars that don’t represent a profitable demographic, which is nothing remotely similar to the idiotic statement “apple can do no wrong.”

        Chris, you’ve crunched the numbers and done the research? I know I haven’t, but I’m betting Apple has. Of course they have. Case in point: Apple bought Beats. “Urban youth” are supporting the most expensive brand of popular headphones out there. And as for “urban youth” spending money on streaming, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s not just kids that listen to Drake (or wear Beats).

        My position is based solely upon the market research Apple does on its products. Apple is doing gangbusters because of this. The idea they’re not doing it with Apple Music is just silly. And the idea that they won’t make mountains of cash doing this, well, so far so good as far as Apple is concerned.

        Cheers!

  12. Andy Huber - 9 years ago

    I’m stupid, and must have missed this, but for 9.99 I can go and listen to any music in the entire iTunes catalog, or is it just iTunes music into playlists?

    • You’re not stupid. I’m left wondering the same thing.

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      You have access to the entire catalog

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      Most of the catalogue they said. My guess is it’ll be larger than anyone else’s.

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      You will be able to listen to any song(s) in the “Apple Music library” with a subscription, so it be akin to the paid version of Spotify in that regard. This is not the same as the iTunes Store library.

      This bit is important… You can still access Apple Music unpaid, signed in with your Apple ID. It is limited to viewing and following artists feeds, listening to Beats 1, and listening to Apple Music radio stations (same as iTunes Radio, but with more content) with limited skips (same as iTunes Radio).

      http://www.apple.com/music/membership/

  13. Matías - 9 years ago

    In which countries will be available? It only says 100+, but which ones?

  14. Michael (@M_Racz) - 9 years ago

    this launch was not that good tbh….I am still confused on the whole apple music thing and there is nothing here to make me switch from Spotify.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      It’s a subscription service, with a radio station, curated music. It sounds like Iovine and the others were sitting around getting high and drunk trying to justify their existence with Apple since Tim Cook doesn’t know what to do with regards to music, and Eddy Cue is clueless.

      As far as I’m concerned, the “One more thing ……” just lost some of it’s excitement due to this announcement. When Jobs did it, he actually announced something people got really excited about. When Cook does it, genitals start to shrink. Oh well.

      • rettun1 - 9 years ago

        Yea I bet iTunes Match (‘one more thing’ that Jobs presented) really got your blood pumpin, eh?? Or how about the iPod nano with the video camera??

        That being said, this is a move that Apple thinks will be huge, so I say let them introduce it how they want. And take it easy on the revisionist history.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        Actually, I use iTunes Match, so it’s something I actually use and pay for.

        And you forgot the iPhone. Or is your memory that bad?

    • ninuola - 9 years ago

      What about the price?

      • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

        $9.99 per month
        or $14.99 per family (super deal!)
        3 month free trail.

    • Odys (@twittester10) - 9 years ago

      You will switch when artists will flock towards Apple Music – its is WAY better platform for artists than Spotify, which is essentially streaming catalog of music. So over time Spotify will seize to be relevant at all at the same price. I am sensing Spotify will be forced to lower its price at which point even fewer artists will be giving them rights to stream their music.

    • Odys (@twittester10) - 9 years ago

      I salute Iovine for pointing out that people forgot that music is art. Services like Spotify really took the soul away from musicians by packaging their songs into playlists that your friends like on Facebook. The ability for an artist to come out and tell their story, what inspired them to write a song, give the listener personal experience of understanding the musician – essentially allowing listeners consuming music as art is what Apple Music is about! It is incredible that a tech company essentially allowed musicians and people who understand music to build this service from the ground up. Only Apple can do this ! I know it may sound fanboyish – but that this true 100%.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        That’s because most of today’s music isn’t art, that’s why people forgot. You have non-musicians creating most of today’s music, so that’s why it’s not really art, it’s just people screwing around with technology that does most of the work for them. AutoTune makes non singers sound like they sign. So how is most of today’s singers that use AutoTune or some form of pitch correction art? How is sampling another recordings someone else made art? The original recording is art, but the sampling of it is simply editing recordings with software, not much in terms of art in that either.

        These guys don’t understand all forms of music, these guys are pop guys and that’s what they listen to. They aren’t listening to other forms of music.

        If you look at the art world, they revere “pop art” as typically rubbish, only a small handful of pop artists actually gain much respect and notoriety in the art world. Why? Probably because it’s too easy to create and there’s not much substance to the art work, so you won’t see that many pop artists that create paintings get much respect from the art community. Pop art is for younger kids and young adults, that just get all starry eyed about what is being marketed to them. That’s what pop music culture is about. It’s about what kids like which popular artists so they can be amongst the Cool Kids. But in today’s culture, more and more music isn’t being produced by actual musicians, since it’s all computer created, modified, etc. and it doesn’t take a musician to create so-called “music” anymore, that’s one of the reasons why the music industry is on a downward spiral. The record labels hire anyone they can market instead of what’s actually high quality music. I thin that trend started to happen in the late 70’s when corporations started to take control over record labels and they’ve never recovered from it. Just my observation and I’m sure a bunch of ignorant immature kiddies will start to flame me out of their own ignorance.

      • Evan - 9 years ago

        Anyways… You’re absolutely right. I get so confused when Apple announces market defining products and services and people always make the later quotable arguments: “It doesn’t have a keyboard.” “It’s just a bigger iPhone.” etc. etc. . Maybe it takes a certain kind of mind to see the whole picture or understand the intention and notice the opportunity. I don’t know. But this is one of times for music, just like the original iTunes Store, that will change the industry drastically going forward.

  15. charismatron - 9 years ago

    Iovine may be a shaker and mover in the music industry, and a big part of that is combining force, ego, and a love for the arts. Unfortunately, none of these seem to translate well into giving keynotes.

    The main thing he has to iron out (imho) is the fact that he’s part of a team, and thus place less emphasis on himself and more on how everyone is making this happen. I get the sense a) he felt as though he didn’t need to prepare, or b) he’d just gotten off a plane post negotiations and couldn’t be prepared.

  16. Is it going to be lossless?

  17. dipaguco - 9 years ago

    Queue Google Play Music+ feature

  18. All I want to do is browse to any album on the iTunes store and stream it for $10/month. Can I do that or not? If not, stop wasting my time. I don’t care for curated music. I want to listen to MY music choices, not someone else’s.

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      My assumption would be you can.

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      A quick browse of Apple’s website shows that, yes, you’ll have access to the entire iTunes library.

      • It doesn’t say that at all. It says you will have access to the Apple Music library. That’s not the same thing as the iTunes library.

    • Anders Nygren - 9 years ago

      You can. You can even ask Siri to stream whatever track you want to listen to.

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      If watching the presentation didn’t answer that question for you, then explaining it to you in a comment is a waste of my time.

      • Evan - 9 years ago

        I guess I misunderstood your question. You can listen to any album you want from the selection of the “Apple Music library” which differs from the iTunes Store library due to licensing. We do not know yet how extensive the AM library will be, but looking to Spotify’s as a base is probably a close projection.

  19. Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

    Here’s my concerns. They are allowing any Tom, Dick and A-hole to post their own “music”. Here’s the legal side of the coin. Caveat, I’m not an entertainment lawyer, but i know people with experience in this area.

    An artist, unless they have proper legal representation, cannot just post, sell, or distribute, etc. without legal signed contracts. If you or someone else posts a recording and there aren’t legal contracts signed by others that are part of the recording, the other parties can not only have the content pulled, but they can take legal action against you and Apple if there are violations that fall under DMCA laws. Since Apple is charging money for this service, they can be held responsible if content is illegally uploaded, as far as I know Apple isn’t protected since this is a paid service. The party that uploads the content can also be sued for posting illegally produced content.

    So if you want to post something, make sure it doesn’t include samples of others’ recordings, or other musicians/vocalists, etc. otherwise THEY can take legal action against you and Apple.

    If Apple doesn’t take this seriously and make every effort to eliminate this sort of activity, Apple may find themselves as defendants in lot of lawsuits.

    People need to understand these rights and laws that protect musicians’ performances, and recordings.

    I see nothing, so far, that indicates anything other than this feature is more of like a PAID Soundcloud type service for unsigned acts.

    Remember folks, make sure you consult with a licensed Entertainment lawyer that can explain the Federal Laws pertaining to recordings of other musicians, etc. and who can legally represent the content, etc. etc.

    This is serious and Apple might be opening themselves up to a long line of legal issues.

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      Let’s assume Apple thought about something as obvious as this. No need to type 1000 words.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        I don’t think they did. TRUST ME. How are they going to scrutinize every single track that gets uploaded by individuals that aren’t signed ‘so-called’ Artists? CD Baby does this, SoundCloud does this and a lot of their content isn’t legal. I know someone that got illegally distributed music pulled and these guys don’t necessarily pull so quickly. They shouldn’t allow anyone that’s NOT an entertainment lawyer representing the band/artist post music.

        Here’s the issue. Let’s say you are a singer and you have other musicians on your recording or you use a measure or two from another recording, you can’t legally post it, sell it or distribute it without legal contracts and legal representation. Why? You aren’t considered a legal representative, that’s why.

        The ONLY people that can represent a recorded performance is the actual musician/singer of their own work or legal representation. You, being the person that uploads the content aren’t a legal representative of these other parties.

        This is a potentially serious situation that you are ignorant about. Do you know what the fines are? it goes from $750 to $150,000 per violation. That means that if you have a recording with 4 different musicians, multiply those fines by 4. Do you want to expose yourself to this? Apple is held liable because they aren’t protected by the Safe Harbor laws with DMCA. Go read up on this before you make a comment. I have. I know others that have had their recorded performances on music that was illegally uploaded and sold through over 30 different digital download sites and the problem is they are making it too easy to upload content. that’s where the mistake is being made. unsigned acts need to get legal representation and they need to be involved with distribution, but they aren’t taking that into consideration.

        This is potential hornets nest of lawsuits and people need to be aware of this and Apple of all companies, should take this VERY seriously, but from the sounds of it, they aren’t. Look at how many YouTube videos get taken down for copyright violations and how many should that haven’t. But the major difference is that YouTube is a free service, this isn”t. That’s where Apple isn’t protected by Safe Harbor protection.

    • j0hnf23 - 9 years ago

      I think that Apple will check the artists and artwork they have done before uploading it to Apple Music.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        I don’t have a high level of confidence on this. I hope they do scrutinize it, but right now I have zero confidence in their legal department. and believe me, I hate having to bring this up, but I know things that have happened to people over the past few years and I know what level of competence these download sites have.

        Please don’t let your fanboyism cloud your attitude. I’ve been an long time Apple user and will continue to do so as far as their products, but right now, I am boycotting iTunes until they settle and take care of business better when it comes to content. I also am boycotting other digital download sites for the same reason and I only buy CDs from reputable artists through reputable sources or downloads that are from reputable record labels. When it comes to the un-signed independent artists, that’s where there is a ton of legal issues since most unsigned acts probably don’t have legal representation and have legal contracts. it’s just the nature of the industry and these internet sites make it too easy to upload content that’s not legal and that’s where the problem starts. They make it too easy to do this because most of these companies figure that most people don’t know the laws or will take legal action due to the costs of lawsuits. But that doesn’t mean they should be making it that easy to violate the law. YouTube is bad enough at copyright violations, but this is going to be very similar only with money exchanged. A lot of companies don’t care until they get enough pressure from the Feds, legal system and others that force them to change. it’s a shame, but that’s big business.

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      This is an obvious issue that I’m sure was taken into consideration early on.
      There will likely be either a system in place to vet any new artist and have them check boxes to hold themselves accountable, and/or there will be yearly fee to be a certified “artist” giving them exclusive access to certain things, similar to the ones developers pay.

    • Pete M. (@petem222) - 9 years ago

      There’s an App review process, why couldn’t there be a music review process?

  20. Jimi Gibson - 9 years ago

    after all is said and done I still believe that you’ll make better discoveries in music through Bandcamp and Soundcloud…just too mainstream in the end

  21. Gregg Palmer - 9 years ago

    Quite frankly I felt it was one of the worst keynotes I have seen. Since the death of SJ, the keynotes seem rushed and unfocused. I was underwhelmed by the new music service. If the three apps are consolidated it would be nice but I doubt that they will be. The same questions are in my mind as well…whats to become of Match and iTunes Radio? Also, many of the music selections and the artists seem meh…Jennifer Baily was terrible…enjoyed Craig and Kevin they are usually enjoyable to listen to. Iovine was terrible…the only thing worse would have been Dr. Dre…Drake was terrible as well…

    • irelandjnr - 9 years ago

      Terribly harsh critique. I think you’re suffering from keynote-butthole syndrome. What didn’t they give you 50 GB iCloud or dark mode in iOS 9? It was a great keyboard with some great stuff and Apple music is a superb effort on Apple’s part.

  22. LOL @ “Revolutionary music service”

    • Evan - 9 years ago

      LOL @ This comment in 3 years.

      • chrisl84 - 9 years ago

        In 3 years it still wont be revolutionary….Spotify beat them by 5 years.

      • Not much of revolution if one has to wait 3 years to see the effects, at least not as far as mobile services are concerned.

        While this may be a pretty good service, it isn’t revolutionary in any sense of the word. They are basically charging a premium on a service that is already available based on the addition of a few gimmicky features like the social integration.

    • krikaoli - 9 years ago

      I almost pissed my pants while laughing very loud at the “revolutionary music service”. Apple really burned that billions for beats… now this is very clear to me.

  23. Matt Vaughan (@mattido) - 9 years ago

    Apple Music seems like it’s going to be a good service for most people. I think my money will still go to Spotify for its huge catalog, with limitless access.

  24. darkenv2 - 9 years ago

    I’m mainly confused on one thing in particular. Will this be like Spotify where I can download songs directly for playback without using Internet or is this just a streaming service only? They didn’t really make that clear to me

    • Apple’s website says this: “As an Apple Music member you can add anything from the Apple Music library — a song, an album, or a video — to your collection. And that’s just the warm-up act. From there you can create the perfect playlist from anything you’ve added. You can save it for offline listening and take it on the road. You can even post your favorite playlists, albums, and videos to Facebook, Twitter, or Messages. It’s never been easier to share music with each other.”

      So the answer to your question seems to be yes.

  25. krikaoli - 9 years ago

    Huge? Really? 24 h radio? That is huge? Spotify continues my first option. Shame on you Apple.

  26. jxslepton - 9 years ago

    Apple Music = Spotify ?
    24/7 = Radio?
    Connect = Soundcloud?

    Is this going to be a standalone app since it’ll be available on the 30th?

  27. Zaire. - 9 years ago

    Whenever apple releases a new product and I come to these blogs theres always a fatal issue that people have, and that is that people think that these products are created in order to win over competing competition or to even influence people who look at blogs. They aren’t. Apple makes more money selling to housewives, teenagers, and people who are generally disinterested in technology.

    Apple is going to win because its a service that is included on the device from step one. People want devices that remove any type of work. They want a device that they can open up and has all the services they need built in. The iPhone has millions of Camera applications but the Camera app is still the favorite. There are different applications but people still use notes the most.

    What we see here is apple doing what it does best and thats giving people, everyday people a service that will bring them the things they want. Music and Radio. And the service will be build into the devices that they already know and love. Spotify has 60 million active users across multiple operating systems. Apple sold 72 Million iPhones in 3 months.

    Rather you debate the features, the presentation itself, or the methods of the keynotes this service will win because it is infant of the users it is available it is cheap and its not half bad.

  28. truth42 - 9 years ago

    I have to agree that it was definitely the worst Keynote I’ve seen. It was shambolic and pretty insincere. I hate to be continually told how great things are when they very obviously aren’t. A radio station? File under: BIG DEAL. And the music app that was demoed tried to be all things to all people. Maybe it will be better when I use it but generally with a music player I usually just want to listen to music.

    Underwhelmed and feeling a little patronized.

  29. Josip Ricov (@Josip_R) - 9 years ago

    Di is stupid. Apple is greedy for our money again! Apple music is BS. All I want is free iRadio to stay.

  30. proudinfidelusmc - 9 years ago

    It all sounds pretty cool but I don’t think I’ll be using the service. A radio station that will play popular music curated by a few DJs? No thanks. I mostly listen to underground electronic dance music, so unless Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox, Green Velvet, etc.. are making the music selection, I’m not one bit interested. I highly dislike today’s hip hop, ESPECIALLY Drake.

    Even I don’t subscribe to SiriusXM anymore, and they have at least 2 stations dedicated to EDM, BPM and Electric Area. Those 2 stations play mostly the more popular mainstream EDM, hardly, if any, Techno, Tech House, or Deep House music.

    Pandora, iTunes Radio, provide enough music for me, heck, even iTunes has enough free podcasts mixes from some of my favorite DJ’s. I’ll give Music a try since we do get 3 months free to test it out. If there’s enough music for my taste, maybe I’ll stick with it.

  31. mozzer502 - 9 years ago

    I couldn’t use iTunes Match because my catalogue exceeds Apples 25,000 song limit. Does that mean I can’t use Apple Music either?

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.