Now that Apple Music is official and launching at the end of the month to replace Beats Music, artists can already start submitting music and signing up to manage their artist page. Apple Music introduces new social features under the “Connect” branding, allowing artists to share content, post updates, and connect with fans in a number of ways like never before. While some thought these features would be limited to big artists from major labels, Apple surprised somewhat and delivered for independent artists by making the feature open to all. Here’s how artists can take advantage…
1. First you have to submit your music for inclusion on Apple Music. If you aren’t with a label that already has a relationship with Apple and iTunes, that means using an aggregator, like TuneCore, that offers distribution on iTunes and now Apple Music for a fee. This is Apple’s list of approved aggregators by country.
2. Once you’ve submitted your music, you’ll be able to claim your artist profile for the new Apple Music Connect features here.
3. After signing in with your Apple ID, you can search for your artist name or band.
4. Select your role. Apple lets you pick from a ‘band or group member, solo artist, artist manager, or label representative, depending on who will be managing your artist profile.
5. Now you just have to fill out your contact info and press submit.
Apple will email you a confirmation that your request has been received and is in review. Once you’ve been approved, you’ll have access to start managing your artist page and uploading content. When someone searches for you in Apple Music, the content you upload will be presented in a “From the Artist” section next to your catalog of music.
Here’s what you’ll be able to do:
You can post a simple message, share your favorite music from our expansive catalog, and upload your own work, including audio, videos, and photos. All users, whether they are members or not, can read your posts and stream content you upload. However, only members will be able to stream the songs, albums, and music videos you share from the Apple Music catalog… You can also attach audio or videos that you upload to your existing albums in Apple Music and comment on other artists’ posts or respond to comments on your own posts.
Limitations on uploads for artist pages include up to 90 minutes of audio, videos up to 8 minutes, or photos in JPEG or PNG file formats. While some artists will post professionally produced content, Apple also notes that you’ll be able to upload videos and photos “spontaneously recorded on an iPhone or iPad” and post immediately right from within the app.
The significance of these features goes well beyond simply social network-like functionality for Apple Music. Apple is for the first time allowing artists total, on the fly control over how they market themselves through its music services, and the fact that the feature is open to all and not just major labels is a huge win for independent artists that do most of their own marketing anyway. If Apple Music, the new curated radio stations, and the Connect social features are successful with users, this could be the first music streaming service that truly embraces smaller artists. What remains to be seen, however, is how Apple might promote this content uploaded by artists and how they’ll be paying out to artists relative to competitive services.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Can’t wait to follow my favorite artists and see all the things they are up to.
/s
Will “Connect” pull some, if not all, contents from Artist’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc…??
Thanks! This article was extremely helpful!
Heh, no. This won’t change anything. You do realize a stream from this garbage service is worth $0.002, right? Stop fooling yourself.
Was hoping you’d go a step further with this article. I am an artist with my own record label. I’ve already gone through all that was mentioned in the article and have already been verified, but I see no way of actually uploading any content to Connect through my artist profile. Any advice? I’ve already contacted Apple Connect Support, but I’m sure they are being bombarded today…
Interesting, I think I figured it out… Artists need to use whatever particular app needed for that particular content. For example, to upload a Photo to your artist profile on Connect, you need to use the iPhone’s Photo app as there is now an option to “Share” with the “Music” app. Not sure how to do a blog post yet (Notes app maybe?)
What happened to your personal Apple ID when your account merged? Your account and purchases etc still intact? Did you need to pick a username for the artist page too? Only Apple Music profiles each have a “nickname”..
Sorry Andru Dunn, this comment system won’t let me reply directly to you, so I’m replying to myself… but yeah, my Apple ID just sort of merged and everything is still intact. Pretty cool.
I didn’t notice that I needed to pick a nickname until I had already uploaded all of my artists (I manage several.) So I picked my usual nickname and it was available. Not sure what the nickname is for though, as for when you post, you just pick which artist you manage and it will post directly to that artist’s Apple Music Profile (which has nothing to do with the nickname.) So in my case, I just uploaded a previously unreleased track and it asked me if this was for my artist “Jido-Genshi” or “Science Patrol” or “Mielikki” etc. I chose the appropriate artist, and it uploaded the song and photo I attached as well.
It’s all going really smoothly and I’m quite impressed! Here is how something like an unreleased song looks like on Connect – https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.609c7eb7-1f7d-11e5-b6eb-c9f5d2b9553c
Thanks, your comment really helped with the information I was searching for :)
Hi Craig,
Are you registered as a Label Rep? For some reason I cannot get this option:
as for when you post, you just pick which artist you manage and it will post directly to that artist’s Apple Music Profile (which has nothing to do with the nickname.) So in my case, I just uploaded a previously unreleased track and it asked me if this was for my artist “Jido-Genshi” or “Science Patrol” or “Mielikki” etc. I chose the appropriate artist, and it uploaded the song and photo I attached as well.
I can see the ‘Post To:’ box but no options become available when I try and click on it or post.
Thanks
How long did it take you to get verified? I submitted it this morning and I’m still waiting ….
Thanks!
It only took about 5 days for me to get verified. And I actually have several artists on my record label (but mostly all me, under various band names.) If you get the chance, search for “Science Patrol” on Apple Connect and you’ll see the first test posts I made. One photo, one video and finally one blog post (which you do write directly from the Music app.)
Here is a video tutorial that goes into further detail and steps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty_6r77fv_k
Connect is not allowing me to post a song. Whenever I click ‘Upload Song’ and pick ANY song, the “Done” option in the corner is greyed-out and I can’t press it. Anyone else having this problem, or better yet, a solution?
i think you have to write something above the song for the button to be pressable
I’m having the same problem – I wrote something in every possible window and still, that “done” stays grayed out. Anyone find a solution?
Anyway to do any editing of connect from within iTunes on Mac, there doesn’t seem to be any way to interact at all with my artist profile.
At the moment you can not add content from iTunes on a desktop or laptop it must be from the Music app on your iOS device
Connect your iPad via lightning etc. And turn iTunes on, at least with OS X. Then the upload symbol appears top-right of the Connect page. Upload progress is just above.
Hi Craig, as an artist I cannot access Apple Music to add content via my desktop. All I currently see is my Artist Profile on a white blank page. Do you know whether this is an issue of the service NOT being available via a Desktop. I do not use a phone for the internet. cheers…
At the moment you can not add content from iTunes on a desktop or laptop it must be from the Music app on your iOS device
I am in the same boat as some others – I am a “verified” artist, as is my band – but when I sign in, all I get is a blank page with both of our names listed as “verified”, but nowhere to upload or do anything at all with either profile. I am on my laptop, which is not a mac. I also have a droid, not an iphone. Is that the problem – that you have to be using their products access the profiles? When I search Apple Music, neither I nor my band are found, except that it says we are on itunes. I am lost and frustrated.
hi Amelia, i also put this question to CDBABY who did a podcast on Apple Music. I was told that it appears the service is only available on an iOS device at present. Hopefully Apple will extend it across the board for the rest of us soon:) I agree, totally frustrating, I spent much of my day a few days back troubleshooting on my desktop, researching via Google etc, chatting online to Apple (who ended up not helping or being informative at all), now the bottom line appears that it is only accessible through one of Apples’s devices.
how do i change the banner image on my artist page on apple music ??
hey, did you ever figure this out? have this exact question. Thank you in advance!!
I can’t even make a post. There is no create post button in connect tab
How long is it typically taking for Apple Music to approve an artist’s profile? I submitted to them on July 29 and got his email “We received your request to be a part of Apple Music Connect. You’ll be contacted soon about getting access to the following account(s).” I’ve heard nothing since. Should I panic or be patient?
Publish your previews (quickly and effectively) on Vimeo (or YouTube if you like), SoundCloud etc. To sell and easily manage your offered tracks (and informations about them) use services like bandcamp.com. Apple Music Connect is a mistake, artists are not interested in using it, many of them even cancels Connect accounts. Publishing from GarageBand on iOS or uploading from iCloud Drive app does not work (you can’t finalize last step, “Done” button is always grayed out). I spend 9.99€ on “never known before” service CDBaby.com (which I am not interested to use at all) to have Connect account (and not to making money in the 1st place(!), but to share — just to publish — music on Apple Music), and… for 9.99€ it just does not work. Keep in mind, that you have to be a kind of geek/hacker to start using Apple Music as an artist.