Apple Announces 'Apple Music' With 'Beats 1' Live Radio Station, Launches June 30 for $9.99/Month

[milo]

Most people probably assumed that it includes the full iTunes store catalog on demand, but as pointed out by some here they are calling the streaming catalog Apple Music. There are definitely some artists who are opposed to streaming, so it would make sense that they would be able to offer a big streaming catalog but not the full catalog they have for sale.

Some confirmation or denial from Apple would be helpful about whether it's the full iTunes catalog or not. That makes a huge difference in the appeal of the service.

 

[markhort]

Excellent, really looking forward to it.

 

[Scott6666]

Since you might not have been paying attention, yes, they want you to pay $10 a month for the radio in your car.

You get FM radio, and you even get AM radio. No data connection necessary. You just use the antenna that's part of your car. Here's the one more thing: you get to listen to all the songs and talk shows broadcasted over the airwaves, 24/7!

Actually it's the music labels that want you to pay $10 per month. Apple couldn't care less about this revenue stream relative to their other stuff.

The DMCA law dictates what must be licensed from the recording studios and what you don't have to license (publisher fees are separate I believe). Random radio does not require licensing and therefore fees. Pick your music and you have to get a license.

Also, broadcast radio has a long standing exemption from licensing which is why you get free radio in your car. It's a bit of an anachronism but it is what it is.

Feel free to lay this on the Congress which passed the law. And the music industry which lobbied it though.

 

[edenbensal]

Apple music will be available in all countries? Like Israel? Or it's just in specific countries?

 

[pol0001]

WTH???? .....
iTunes Radio in the US = available for free in Apple Music
iTunes Radio in the UK = only available in the paid membership

and no UK prices announced yet. So I guess £9.99

 

[Spankey]

iTunes Match should have been included and given the ax as a separate service - that's I'm saying. Apple has too much going on with music. Beats 1 AND Apple Radio?? Good grief.

I'm going to disagree. iTunes Match is valuable to me as it allows me to have MY music where I want when I want it. I would not want to have to pay $9 a month for my own music and access to iTunes Radio. As it is now, Apple Music radio allows me the same access with only limited skipping without a subscription. I'm fine with that.

Unless I am BLOWN away by Apple Music Radio, I will remain a paid Slacker subscriber. Slacker just updated their bitrate to 320kbps and it sounds awesome.

 

[GrumpyTrucker]

I agree with this post. While I am sure the "Apple Music Library" will be huge, could very well not be anything close to the full iTunes library. It is some tricky word play by Apple. After all, if one did have full access to the full complete iTunes library, they would have played that up to the max during the keynote.

They even use the phrase "the ever expanding Apple Music Library" on the Discover page after saying that wherever your music comes from, ripped from CD, downloaded from a music blog or purchased in the iTunes Store. So yeah, I'd agree that the Apple Music Linrary does seem to be separate from the iTunes Store Library

 

[rikscha]

Looks like I'll be cancelling Spotify June 30.

Does this come with iTunes Match???????????

I checked Apple's website and it says iTunes Match is a complimentary and independent service.

The service though will match your music but I guess not in the same fashion.

 

[Nuvi]

What is HD Audio?
ALAC Lossless? The bandwidth required to stream would be substantial.

Deezer (Elite) has lossless with integration to Sonos. It's also same price as Apple Music but requires one year subscription. With monthly payments the price goes to around $15 a month (if I remember correctly).

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

This. With a paid subscription active, the experience is basically the same for music you own between the two services. Apple Music adds the ability to stream ANY song from iTunes, not just music you own.

With iTunes Match, all the matched songs can be downloaded and are YOURS TO KEEP FOREVER. With Apple Music, the matched songs will disappear when you stop the subscription.

With Apple Music, just like iTunes Match, the songs you PURCHASE or add to your library from outside sources (CDs, bittorrent or however you acquire them) will still remain YOURS TO KEEP FOREVER. The matched songs disappear upon cancelation of iTunes Match too, if you didn't download them. Apple isn't going to just yank songs you own away from your library when you cancel Apple Music.

The difference is that with Apple Music, you can save music you don't own to your library so long as you have a subscription. That is what will disappear if you cancel.

 

[TechRemarker]

How is this different from iTunes Radio?

And easier question would be how is this 'like' iTunes Radio, to which one of the tabs still offers a radio feature. Where is the rest of the app is like Spotify functionality wise in that you can play any song you want on demand.

 

[Narcaz]

Is the are a device limit? I mean like streaming music on your iPhone and iPad at the same time. Spotify asks always on which device it should play. It is a bit annoying when i go to the gym and some likes to play some music with my iPad at home. (No i don't want a second account for these rare occasions). They don't mention it on apple.com.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

So as I understand it, being an Music member will get you a Spotify-like experience (unlimited streaming of the entire library, save for offline listening etc) but with an element of iTunes Match thrown in - songs you have in iTunes not in the Music Library will be uploaded. I guess that the difference between this and Match will be once you've stop paying you lose acces to even your uploaded songs, even if you've saved them for offline listening, whereas with match once you've (re)downloaded them to your device it doesn't matter if you stop paying you can still listen the songs.

Why would you lose access to your uploaded songs?

 

[m11rphy]

WTH???? .....
iTunes Radio in the US = available for free in Apple Music
iTunes Radio in the UK = only available in the paid membership

and no UK prices announced yet. So I guess £9.99

Thats not the case, the uk site shows what you get for free vs paid and iTunes radio is free to every one

 

[Mclovincr]

"beats 1" is a ridiculous name, and using a logo that suggests "01"? That's even worse than calling an OS "El Capitan".

Although the OS name is awful I always have found amusing English native speakers saying Spanish phrases/words . But hey, that just me.

 

[TechRemarker]

Is Apple seriously trying Ping again with Connect?
I don't think anyone wants that.

Where did you see that? What I heard them say is that the whole connect section will pull in artist's photos, messages, and such all from existing social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Rather than forcing them to use an Apple network such as Ping to add content. So from the video at least there will be no return of Ping.

 

[Arndroid]

Thanks, no need I'll stick to Spotify

You will pay the same for access to less music?

 

[Richdmoore]

Is this the return of drm to the apple iTunes music?

Right now I can buy a song outright with no drm from iTunes. (I should still be able to this after the launch of the new service.).

Current prices are $1.29 to $.79 a song.

With a new subscription of $10 a month to apple music I can stream (online) or download ecery song I wish (for offline.) If I end the subscription the songs I downloaded will no longer play, correct?

Will downloaded songs (using the subscription) play in an iPod, or just a ios/android device (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad?).

Is this the end of the iPod?

 

[Razeus]

I guess I'm just too old school. I prefer downloads to own.

 

[BJMRamage]

so, this is nothing more than like the other streaming, on-demand-style Music Apps?

similar price and everything.

No Thanks Apple. worst case scenario I go back to Spotify if they end iTunes Radio.

 

[TwoBytes]

The wording of apple is "Unlimited listening from the Apple Music library".

Very good chance iTunes Store library and Apple music library are not one in the same.

Good point. It could be the case that we are limited in what we can access.

 

[stage44]

You will pay the same for access to less music?

Here's my reasoning. Spotify is on more platforms.
The music that is on Apple Music and not on Spotify is music that I have no interest in.

 

[pol0001]

Thats not the case, the uk site shows what you get for free vs paid and iTunes radio is free to every one

I don't know. That's what I see on the UK site.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Is this the return of drm to the apple iTunes music?

Right now I can buy a song outright with no drm from iTunes. (I should still be able to this after the launch of the new service.).

Current prices are $1.29 to $.79 a song.

With a new subscription of $10 a month to apple music I can stream (online) or download ecery song I wish (for offline.) If I end the subscription the songs I downloaded will no longer play, correct?

Will downloaded songs (using the subscription) play in an iPod, or just a ios/android device (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad?).

Is this the end of the iPod?

this is a new, additional model. people are welcome to continue purchasing music from $.79 a song. Apple Music will not work on iPod (except iPod touch)

 

[TechRemarker]

Impressive that they're going to be supporting Android, doubt anyone expected that.

Would have been hard to imagine them not releasing an Android version if they want their new app to be the end all app for music and video content. If they had said launching with Android right away along with the iOS version that certainly would have been surprisingly. Spotify is available for the major mobile platforms so if a new competitor isn't also then they wouldn't be much of a competitor.