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Apple Music Opinions

Which Service is Best?

  • Apple Music

    Votes: 23 56.1%

  • Amazon Prime Music

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Google Play Music

    Votes: 4 9.8%

  • Pandora

    Votes: 1 2.4%

  • Spotify

    Votes: 12 29.3%

  • Rhapsody

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • None of the Above - Buy Music Instead

    Votes: 1 2.4%
  • Total voters
    41
I

iMi

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
What do you think about Apple Music? Is it worth the monthly subscription?

I just started the trial and have to admit - I love it. I love the integration into iTunes and the fact that the library follows me from one device to another. Getting off Amazon Prime music early next year since I am not renewing Prime (Amazon is going down hill and fast, in my opinion). Still, I am not sure I'll keep the service. Any advice?
 
Ipadlover29

Ipadlover29

macrumors 6502a
May 28, 2011
977
318
Why did you put pandora/spodify?/Rhapsody as the same choice?

They should be separate choices.
 
Ipadlover29

Ipadlover29

macrumors 6502a
May 28, 2011
977
318
I personally like Spotify better it's more mature. It's only matter of time before Apple Music catches up. Apple Music keeps on getting better with each update. I like the fact I can listen to Apple Music on my Apple TV 4. I pay for Apple Music and use the free Spotify service. I also like slacker for some specific genres.
 
doolittle27

doolittle27

macrumors member
Jan 20, 2016
90
37
San Francisco, CA, USA
Spotify is considering a better service to me. My most favorite feature would be that you can search for any kind of playlist from many different users who may have the same taste in music as you do. One other thing is that, Spotify music chart looks interesting with many genres of music included whereas Apple Music always has only Hip-Hop/Rap on the chart.
 
bumbo

bumbo

macrumors 6502
May 6, 2009
443
148
I like it and like it more with each update. I'm very much a "stick it out and ride the storm" kinda guy when it comes to Apple and they fixed my biggest issue with AM in iOS 9.3.

I did love Spotify - and still do - but it's the integration, the number of users on the Family plan, and the fact that I can pay for it using iTunes vouchers (which are almost always on a discount offer) that make me stay.

Plus a streaming service will only ever become as good as you make it (in theory) so the longer you stay the better it *should* get..!
 
I

iMi

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
bumbo said:
I like it and like it more with each update. I'm very much a "stick it out and ride the storm" kinda guy when it comes to Apple and they fixed my biggest issue with AM in iOS 9.3.

I did love Spotify - and still do - but it's the integration, the number of users on the Family plan, and the fact that I can pay for it using iTunes vouchers (which are almost always on a discount offer) that make me stay.

Plus a streaming service will only ever become as good as you make it (in theory) so the longer you stay the better it *should* get..!
Click to expand...

iTunes vouchers on discount? Please, tell me more sir.
 
nburwell

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,490
2,393
DE
doolittle27 said:
Spotify is considering a better service to me. My most favorite feature would be that you can search for any kind of playlist from many different users who may have the same taste in music as you do. One other thing is that, Spotify music chart looks interesting with many genres of music included whereas Apple Music always has only Hip-Hop/Rap on the chart.
Click to expand...

I agree here. I have AM, but when I had Spotify, I felt like I was discovering music at a better rate than I am with AM. However, I prefer the UI of AM over Spotify. But I'm hoping that the longer I stick with AM, the more I'll be able to discover more artists and bands like I did when I had Spotify.
 
I

iMi

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
Wow... Spotify wasn't even on my radar but you guys all like the service. Apple Music is growing on me by the hour and I absolutely love the library integration. It's ridiculously convenient to have the same library sync seamlessly between all Apple devices. Love that I can take the music offline (to listen to when on the plane, for example). I've already discovered five or six albums I've added that I didn't previously have, so the service is half way to paying for itself and it's only been a few days. Amazon Music (surprisingly without a single vote) isn't a bad service but lacks offline listening on laptops and the selection of prime music seems to be literally 10% of the selection on Apple Music.

Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming!
 
tonyr6

tonyr6

macrumors 68000
Oct 13, 2011
1,737
733
Brooklyn NY
Well the ones I used.

First Pandora is not even worth mentioning. No full albums. Just playlists and many repeats. Example is there 90's station played about 80% music I already had on CD and I only have a small fraction of 90's CD's. Cancelled right away.

Amazon Prime Music. Used this when it was first announced to Prime members. Full albums but limited. Poor sound quality. Since it comes with Prime I just don't use it and deleted the app on all of my devices because I still want to keep Prime.

Slacker. Not mentioned here. Just used the playlist feature and it is terrible. Since it also came with AOL Radio it got so repetitive I never used it and finally dropped it last year. If I had to hear "Cotton Eye Joe" one more time I was going to throw my phone down a pit.

Google Play Music. I liked this and used it for over a year. Used much until February-April. Sound quality is good but what turned me off was the lack of any parental controls that worked. Too easy to find explicit music even vulgar song titles. Complained about this and Google game me a three month credit as a curtsy :). One great thing is it has a proper web player like the other services. It does come with YouTube Red but it is not worth it. Hopping YouTube Red was going to add TV shows, movies instead of crappy YouTube star content is not worth keeping it especially since I only watch small clips on reviews of products and there exclusive crap it is not worth it.

Apple Music. Decided to trial it in February. Going back and forth with Play Music I found that Apple Music had much better sound quality of all the services I used. It has been a bit buggier compared to Play Music on my Android device (don't sue me) but great on my Apple TV (yes I have Apple devices too) but since Apple Music actually has parental controls that work. It censors vulgar song titles and it won't let me play them since having explicit music blocked unlike Play Music which actually lets me even play them I decided to stick with :apple: Music. They just need to app a web player like every other music service out so I don't have to use the horrible iTunes anymore and that will boast there subscribers.

As I meant to say I only listen to music pre-2006 with the exception of Smooth Jazz, Ambient and Melodic Progressive so Play Music served me good for older music but Apple Music gets the win for the parental controls and better sound quality.
 
Last edited:
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bumbo

bumbo

macrumors 6502
May 6, 2009
443
148
ButteryScrollin said:
https://twitter.com/itunescarddeals
Click to expand...
iMi said:
iTunes vouchers on discount? Please, tell me more sir.
Click to expand...
Not sure where you're based but there's the Twitter account already mentioned, which is a decent aggregator. I'm in the UK so not 100% on who does what but I remember hearing Best Buy do them quite regularly.

PayPal gifts have them on offer quite frequently (US and UK) and Tesco Gift cards (UK) has them on offer more often than not. Normally around a special event or holiday (Easter, Christmas etc)
 
T

Tech198

Cancelled
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,151
I've never used any other service longer, so that's why I choose Apple Music. + more content for me personally to get. May not be for everyone.

Still issues, but doesn't worry me. lossless would be good to, but doesn't worry me, since i can get round all that.

I do use Pandora too,,,,
 
Fuchal

Fuchal

macrumors 68030
Sep 30, 2003
2,608
1,106
Used all the services, from rdio to spotify to apple music. Liking apple music the most and the family plan rules (rdio used to have one too).
 
I

iMi

Suspended
Original poster
Sep 13, 2014
1,624
3,201
tonyr6 said:
Well the ones I used.

First Pandora is not even worth mentioning. No full albums. Just playlists and many repeats. Example is there 90's station played about 80% music I already had on CD and I only have a small fraction of 90's CD's. Cancelled right away.

Amazon Prime Music. Used this when it was first announced to Prime members. Full albums but limited. Poor sound quality. Since it comes with Prime I just don't use it and deleted the app on all of my devices because I still want to keep Prime.

Slacker. Not mentioned here. Just used the playlist feature and it is terrible. Since it also came with AOL Radio it got so repetitive I never used it and finally dropped it last year. If I had to hear "Cotton Eye Joe" one more time I was going to throw my phone down a pit.

Google Play Music. I liked this and used it for over a year. Used much until February-April. Sound quality is good but what turned me off was the lack of any parental controls that worked. Too easy to find explicit music even vulgar song titles. Complained about this and Google game me a three month credit as a curtsy :). One great thing is it has a proper web player like the other services. It does come with YouTube Red but it is not worth it. Hopping YouTube Red was going to add TV shows, movies instead of crappy YouTube star content is not worth keeping it especially since I only watch small clips on reviews of products and there exclusive crap it is not worth it.

Apple Music. Decided to trial it in February. Going back and forth with Play Music I found that Apple Music had much better sound quality of all the services I used. It has been a bit buggier compared to Play Music on my Android device (don't sue me) but great on my Apple TV (yes I have Apple devices too) but since Apple Music actually has parental controls that work. It censors vulgar song titles and it won't let me play them since having explicit music blocked unlike Play Music which actually lets me even play them I decided to stick with :apple: Music. They just need to app a web player like every other music service out so I don't have to use the horrible iTunes anymore and that will boast there subscribers.

As I meant to say I only listen to music pre-2006 with the exception of Smooth Jazz, Ambient and Melodic Progressive so Play Music served me good for older music but Apple Music gets the win for the parental controls and better sound quality.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Comprehensive and very informative.
 
Squirreladd

Squirreladd

macrumors member
Feb 29, 2016
77
47
I have used Google music for about 5 years now. I was using it before the unlimited streaming along with Spottily. I personally watch more youtube then Netflix and Hulu combined so the benefit of youtube red is clear for me. This week I will be trying Apple music, just giving it a try but compared to my experience with play music and Youtube red I highly doubt it will get me to switch anytime soon.

I must say initial impressions: Apple music has a much nicer UI. It's radio feature is not as good a play music. With play music I can press the radio option mid-Song and it will continue playing and it allows me to see the next twenty or so songs to be played and even allows me to remove songs and rearrange songs.
 
Uofmtiger

Uofmtiger

macrumors 68020
Dec 11, 2010
2,351
1,062
Memphis
I said Apple Music, but it should come with the caveat that it is best for iOS. If you aren't on iOS, you lose Siri and it becomes a closer race.

If iOS wasn't in the picture, I would probably have to think a bit harder about it, but I really like the For You section, so I might still end up with AM. That being said, while expensive, Tidal's integration into RoonAudio is the best home audio app I have seen. Just not sure I would want to pay an additional subscription fee for Roon.

Should mention that Apple doesn't have a freemium tier, so if you don't want to pay, they don't have an option.
 
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