Apple Music - Everything you need to know - Android
Spotify might still be the biggest music streaming platform in the world, but Apple Music is now nipping at its heels. In just five years it’s grown to over 70 million subscribers, and after largely replacing iTunes in 2019 it’s become an even bigger part of Apple’s subscription service push.
Unlike some of Apple’s other offerings like Apple TV Plus, the platform is available on more than just Apple devices. It also has aspirations far beyond just music streaming, with the budget and vision to make that future a reality.
So what is Apple Music and is it worth a subscription? Keep reading for everything you need to know about the platform, from features and pricing to its biggest competitors. You can also start your free trial right away by clicking the button below.
Apple Music is a premium music streaming service with more than 50 million songs available to stream from the cloud. It also hosts several free internet radio stations broadcasting 24 hours a day in over 160 countries around the world. It launched in 2015 after Apple’s acquisition of Beats, replacing the company’s budding Beats Music service.
Billed as a one-stop-shop for all your music streaming needs, the service allows both access to an extensive library of songs as well as your own personal library of purchased music from iTunes via iCloud integration. When iTunes was phased out with the release of macOS Catalina in mid-2019, Apple Music became the default music app on all Apple devices.
Although it initially received mixed reviews for an unintuitive UI, over the years Apple Music has grown into a major player in the music streaming wars. Now that it has been incorporated into Apple One alongside Apple TV Plus and others, it’s set to play an even bigger part in Apple’s wider subscription service strategy.
Apple Music’s relationship to artists started off shaky when it announced it wouldn’t pay royalties for music played during a user’s free trial period, but things quickly improved after that decision was reversed. Now, thanks to Apple Music for Artists, musicians can tap into Apple’s data and see how their music is performing around the world.
The musician-focused service allows you to see listener demographics, trend reports, milestones, most Shazamed songs, and more. It can be a powerful tool to figure out where to tour or promote your music, and you can upload a custom artist photo that fans will see when they listen to your music.
To create an account and start tracking your music’s performance, click the button below.
Apple Music is much easier to use now than it was when it first launched in 2015. If you are using an iOS or Mac device, you already have it installed and it’s probably set as the default music app. If you’re on Android you can download the app from the Play Store, but on Windows you’ll have to stick to the old iTunes experience.
Once you have it installed, open it up and you’ll be greeted by four main sections: Library, For You, Browse, and Radio. Each one has tiles filled with content to listen to right away. On iOS there’s an extra search icon at the bottom right, whereas on Android it’s located in the upper part of the screen.
Library is fairly self-explanatory, and it contains both your personal music library (both local and on iCloud Music) as well as artists and songs you’ve saved on the platform. This is also where you’ll find your saved and custom playlists.
The For You section is where you’ll go to discover new music. Apple Music analyzes what you’ve been listening to and liked/disliked, then recommends similar music using complex algorithms. Browse is another way to find new music, but it relies on Top 100 lists, new releases, and featured playlists rather than your listening history.
Finally, the Radio section is one of the service’s most popular and unique features. There are several 24-hour internet radio programs with a live DJ broadcasting around the world, and you can hop into the live stream or listen to previous recordings. There’s also a schedule of upcoming live content so you never miss your favorite programming.
While there’s certainly no shortage of great options for streaming music, Apple Music is more than worth consideration. It offers a larger selection of music than most of its competitors with 60 million songs, and comes in at roughly the same price.
If you’re already hooked into the Apple ecosystem with your library synced up in iTunes, it really is a no brainer to try out Apple Music. You can add up to 100,000 songs to the app’s streaming library via iCloud Music Library. The ability to have all of your purchased music and an extensive streaming library is one place is hugely convenient for music lovers.
Listening to your own music on Apple Music is completely free, as are the 24-hour internet radio stations. This can be a great way to discover new music, although be warned that it will chew through data if you’re not connected to WiFi.
A better way to discover new music is with the subscriber-only For You section, although it’s admittedly a hair behind Spotify and YouTube Music’s algorithms. Still, the recommendations can be solid if you’re not looking for anything too outside of the mainstream.
The streaming quality is also good, but if you’re a true audiofile you might want to consider other options. Tidal, Amazon Music HD, and Deezer are currently the leaders for sound quality, but the tradeoff is fewer features and a lack of integration with a wider ecosystem.
As mentioned earlier, Apple Music is priced very similarly to other streaming services at $9.99 for the individual plan. This is the same as Spotify and YouTube Music, as well as the lower-res plans for Tidal and Deezer. If you’re
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