Since the iPod was released for the first time in 2001,
Apple has been regarded as one of the influential figures in the music
industry. Inevitably, iTunes has revolutionized the way we consume new music.
And 14 years later, iTunes is still heard everywhere, but
slowly starts to be replaced by the music streaming service. The music
streaming service has also revolutionized the way we consume digital music,
where the device's storage doesn't become the most important thing anymore.
Apple itself actually also has a streaming service, iTunes
Radio, that's introduced along with iOS 7. However, iTunes Radio has to face
heavy competitors so it can't be called as a leading figure of this
industry.
On the stage of their annual developer conference, this
California-based company is proudly to announce the presence of Apple Music.
The Apple Music is not just a regular music streaming service, but it is an ecosystem
for all things about music, which once again wants to revolutionize the way we
enjoy music.
Apple Music is an application with three 'lives': 1)
streaming service, 2) live radio broadcasts and 3) mini social media for communication
place between musicians and fans. The streaming service can be regarded as a
reincarnation of the Beats Music which has previously been acquired by Apple.
Apple complete music catalog which reaches more than 30 million songs can be
enjoyed whenever users have access to the internet.
The mainstay feature of Beats Music is also presented here,
i.e. curation of music experts rather than algorithms. The playlists are not
just offered by genres, but also the activities - similar to those offered by
Songza, which has been acquired by Google.
The interesting thing is Siri has now been integrated with
the Apple Music. You can instruct Siri not only to play the songs in your
library, but you can also test its intelligence by asking some questions such
as "Play me the top ten rock songs from 1994," in which Siri will
then prepare a playlist that contains 10
old rock songs just like your request.
The second live of Apple Music is the live radio broadcast
which is called Beats 1. The Beats 1 is not only live, but also broadcasted for
24 hours non-stop to more than 100 countries. The famous DJs from three cities
(Los Angeles, New York and London) have been selected to lead the broadcast and
compose the playlists in various genres. Not only songs, Beats 1 will also
present exclusive interviews, guest stars and others interesting things related
to music and music culture.
The last live is called Connect. As mentioned before, the
Connect is like a mini social media that's embedded in Apple Music app. Here,
the musicians could share various things, ranging from semi-finished lyrics, or
a snippet of new song to be introduced to the fans. Furthermore, fans can
interact with the idols through the same application.
Starting on June 30, users in more than 100 countries can
enjoy Apple Music for free for 3 months. Furthermore, Apple will set $10 for
subscription fee per month.
For the family members who are fond of music, Apple Music is
also offered with a family plan for $ 15 per month, which is valid for six
members of the family as well. Each member will receive their own account and
have the freedom to explore Apple's music catalog without fear of damaging the
recommendation that's received by other family members.
Apple Music can be accessed from iOS devices via the iOS 8.4
update, while on the Mac or PC through a new version of iTunes. The interesting
is Apple Music will also be available on Android in the fall of this year.