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HomePod Owners With an iTunes Match or Apple Music Subscription Can Access Their iCloud Music Library Using Siri

“For those unaware, iCloud Music Library lets users upload or "match" up to 100,000 songs from their personal music library with the DRM-free iTunes Store catalog, without eating into their standard iCloud storage allocation. The feature comes as part of Apple's iTunes Match service ($24.99 a year) and is also included with every Apple Music subscription ($9.99 monthly).”

Itunes match Isn’t included with an Apple Music subscription.
 
threesixty360 said:
It's all a mess for me. I cant remember what songs I have that would be drm free or apple music now. Since Apple music covers so much of my library anyway. I'm wondering if it's all worth it? What would happen if I stopped itunes match? If I go to play a track will it automatically figure out its on apple music and play it?

I'm almost too scared to cancel it if it ends up destroying everything.
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Do a backup of your mobile devices to your computer, then use iTunes to sort the music files according to 'Kind' of track. Anything that has DRM will show up with 'protected' included within the 'Kind' listing.
 
BvizioN said:
I always wondered why do we have to say "Hey" instead of just saying Siri! I can't imagine many of us have family members named Siri, to confuse Siri assistant.
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I think Apple assumes that "Siri" will come up in conversation like "Ask Siri is she knows how to..." or "Tell Siri to..." or of course on the TV or radio playing in the background. If Siri was as beloved and truly used as much as Apple thinks, this might actually be a problem but not yet.

Also, that extra syllable in "Hey" removes a lot of false triggers from words that simply sound like Siri too. I think 3 syllables might be the sweet spot which is why Alexa and Hey Google and Cortana are used.
 
KeithJenner said:
I'm not sure at all about the DRM issue though. My Apple Music matched files look DRM free to me.
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Apple Music itself will not provide you with DRM free matches. If you're using something DRM free in combination with Apple Music, then it came from somewhere else (iTunes Match, iTunes purchase, Amazon purchase, CD rip, etc).
 
threesixty360 said:
It's all a mess for me. I cant remember what songs I have that would be drm free or apple music now. Since Apple music covers so much of my library anyway. I'm wondering if it's all worth it? What would happen if I stopped itunes match? If I go to play a track will it automatically figure out its on apple music and play it?

I'm almost too scared to cancel it if it ends up destroying everything.
Click to expand...
I’m in the exact same boat as you. Wanted to cancel match last year, but I know I’m gonna get a call from the wife going “what happened to my music”.
 
gnipgnop said:
Apple Music itself will not provide you with DRM free matches. If you're using something DRM free in combination with Apple Music, then it came from somewhere else (iTunes Match, iTunes purchase, CD rip).
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This is what I did.

Found a matched file in my iTunes library.

Removed the download

Clicked the download button

Took that file which had just downloaded from my Apple Music library.

Checked for DRM

It isn't the ripped file, as I compared the downloaded one to the original file and it is a different file size. I don't have iTunes Match (haven't for a few years now).

This is a matched file from Apple Music and there is no DRM that I can see.

Doing an internet search shows a number of reports stating that Apple Music matched files are now DRM free.
 
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KeithJenner said:
Doing an internet search shows a number of reports stating that Apple Music matched files are now DRM free.
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http://noteburner.com/apple-music/apple-music-vs-itunes-match.html

"With iTunes Match, Apple will match your older files that are 96 kbps or higher, and make them available in 256 kbit/s DRM-free AAC format. The song which is not matched with the iTunes Store catalog will be uploaded as-is, where they can be redownloaded in their original format. And you should note that songs containing DRM are not matched or uploaded to iCloud unless you authorize playback of that content on your computer. If you cancel your Match subscription, the music will stay on your device if they've been downloaded, but you won't be able to stream anything further. (Any tracks you've uploaded to iTunes Match will stay where they are.)

With Apple Music, Apple will match your music with the Apple Music catalog. When you re-download the matched song on another device, you'll get a256kbps DRM-encrypted AAC file. This means that if you cancel your Apple Music subscription, they'll disappear. Any songs not matched with the Apple Music catalog are uploaded as-is, where they can be redownloaded in their original format. (Any tracks you've uploaded to Apple Music will stay where they are.)"
 
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gnipgnop said:
http://noteburner.com/apple-music/apple-music-vs-itunes-match.html

"With iTunes Match, Apple will match your older files that are 96 kbps or higher, and make them available in 256 kbit/s DRM-free AAC format. The song which is not matched with the iTunes Store catalog will be uploaded as-is, where they can be redownloaded in their original format. And you should note that songs containing DRM are not matched or uploaded to iCloud unless you authorize playback of that content on your computer. If you cancel your Match subscription, the music will stay on your device if they've been downloaded, but you won't be able to stream anything further. (Any tracks you've uploaded to iTunes Match will stay where they are.)

With Apple Music, Apple will match your music with the Apple Music catalog. When you re-download the matched song on another device, you'll get a256kbps DRM-encrypted AAC file. This means that if you cancel your Apple Music subscription, they'll disappear. Any songs not matched with the Apple Music catalog are uploaded as-is, where they can be redownloaded in their original format. (Any tracks you've uploaded to Apple Music will stay where they are.)"
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You have linked to an old report.

I agree totally with that. When Apple launched Apple Music there was DRM attached to matched files. Absolutely correct. You will notice where you quoted me that I said that they are now DRM free, not that they always were.

It seems they changed it back in 2016.
 
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I previously had iTunes Match, and for many of the albums that had hidden tracks I combined the silent tracks that sometimes preceded the hidden track, so that I could easily skip the silent tracks (but I wanted the time-space of the silent tracks to still be present in the album). I tended to do custom tracks within an album fairly often. Initially I paid for Apple Music, and iTunes Match, not wanting to lose access to my custom collection if I unsubscribed from the latter. But then I realized that Apple Music has the matching feature, so I canceled my iTunes Match subscription.

Two years later, my custom tracks are still on and playable via Apple Music. But I still have my music collection on my NAS drives, because i'm paranoid like that (at least in this regard), lol.
 
Keirasplace said:
Is is possible in any other assistant, not the one I tried... considering alexa is only in english, not surprising. I find this kind of comment really tiresome.

Switching language mid stream is a very hard nut tot crack.

I have that issue too, I put Siri in french, my native language, it doesn't understand the songs in english, if I put it in english, it doesn't understand the french songs.

Not sure how this can be fixed, maybe running simultaneous translations of words in say 2 language and having it select the one that is closest (but I'm sure that would be a problem in cases were say french and english words sound the same but have a different meaning). Could be avoided by only running a simultaneous translation in a clearly music selecting context, like play me X .

You could also simplify thing by simply having a word indicating a switch in language.

Hey Siri, Play me french La vie en Rose
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I just tried your example (La Vie en Rose) mixing English and French and Google Assistant pulled it up and started playing without issue. Speaking of Siri's limitations I'm curious ask to what Apple will have the HomePod say instead of Siri's go-to "Here's what I found on the Web"?
 
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OllyW said:
"Ow bin ya Siri" here in the Black Country. :D
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Good news about iTunes Match but I still don't understand why Apple are being so cagey about the HomePod's functionality.
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Because they are launching it before it is ready for some reason and marketing and development are out of sync.
 
OllyW said:
.....Good news about iTunes Match but I still don't understand why Apple are being so cagey about the HomePod's functionality.
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I'm thinking that as they're rolling this out, an avalanche of questions from reviewers made them realize they haven't yet completely, 100% thought out all the possibilities with this new Siri enabled Audio device.

Iow, a work in progress.
 
OllyW said:
Apple removed DRM from iCloud Music Library downloads over a year ago.
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Okay, I'm way out of date on that. There are still differences between possible matches due to the difference in catalog size for Apple Music vs. iTunes.
 
KazKam said:
As 90% of my iTunes Library is ripped from CD or vinyl, and I will never allow AM or Match to completely screw up my lovingly curated files, this functionality and product is useless to me until they allow the HomePod to access my Home Share over LAN.
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You could always use airplay from your Mac, directly or via the iOS app Remote. Also, if you do not activate iCloud Music Library, you can use Apple Music while your iTunes Library will remain completely untouched/unaltered. This is what I do as I only use AM to check out new releases and older stuff that I don‘t own.
 
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This is one of the most confusing launches in recent history…although Apple music subscriptions had a similar “rushed” feel.

Basic features and understanding of this product offering are a mystery. The general public is relying on niche Apple bloggers to define what this product can and cannot do. (Which means the general public, those who don’t read MacRumors, et al., have no idea what this product is outside of it being some kind of speaker from Apple.

Very worrisome. My guess is behind the scenes, HomePod simply was not ready, so core, essential features were cut to make a shipping date. Accordingly, the marketing materials are incomplete since this is one big scramble.

Even the new ads seemed rushed. Not great production value.
 
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gnasher729 said:
He didn't ask for playing music using Siri, you asked about playing music from Mac, iPhone or iPad. Which he can. Plus he can play music from PCs or Android devices with Airplay software added.
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Please re-read my quote. I didn't ask anything from that member as you indicated "You asked" in your Post, which is incorrect. If you are referring to my Post, I misinterpreted the question, which streaming AirPlay2 and WiFi will is needed without the actual AppleMusic subscription.
 
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Sy7ygy said:
Too late, worst music service, worst assistant, worst price.
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Best sound, best design, best integration into the Apple ecosystem, best privacy.

And contrary to popular belief, all voice assistants have their pros and cons and none of them is clearly ahead in all regards. Also what kind of differentiation you see between Apple Music and Spotify, Google Music, Amazon Unlimited etc. I don‘t know, because I certainly don’t see anything (that would matter very much).
 
cmaier said:
It doesn't even support iTunes home sharing.
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So? You can still play all your itunes stuff via airplay. And HomePod is absolutely, undeniably better integrated into the Apple ecosystem than all other smart speakers.
 
TheShadowKnows! said:
No, not so. The local source streaming uninterruptedly over AirPlay2/WiFi will be what is required -- without AppleMusic subscription.

Far from perfect, and subject to the same anomalies, as playing locally through Bluetooth-connected speakers.
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You're correct, I misunderstood the OP's question.
 
"HomePod Owners With an iTunes Match or Apple Music Subscription Can Access Their iCloud Music Library Using Siri"

I should think so too. What is the big deal about that? If this is something to note, I worry (well, not literally) about all the things it can't do.
 
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