Apple Music Launches
Apple Music has now launched across iOS devices. As previously reported, it combines streaming, downloads, radio, and social elements all in one place.
iTunes now includes access to all of the iTunes store streaming on demand, with features like customized playlists and recommendations. Pitchfork is one of Apple Music’s Curation Partners. Check out Pitchfork’s profile for regularly updated playlists.
Beats 1, the in-house radio station, is broadcasting 24 hours a day. Beats 1 is co-anchored by Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden of Hot 97 in New York, and Julie Adenuga in London. The station’s first interview will be with Eminem, as conducted by Lowe.
Beats 1 will also feature shows hosted by musicians and celebrities. Drake, Dr. Dre, St. Vincent, Disclosure, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Jaden Smith, Elton John, and Pharrell are amongst the initial hosts. It will be free, ad-supported, and available to anyone with an Apple device.
St. Vincent’s show, “Mixtape Delivery Service”, features Annie Clark creating mixtapes based on notes from fans. Her show will air tonight from 10pm-11pm. Dr. Dre’s “The Pharmacy” features mixes as well as commentary from Dre and DJ Pooh. Josh Homme’s show is called “Alligator Hour”.
The social element of Apple Music, Connect, allows artists to upload their own content and interact with fans.
Apple Music will also match and upload any songs owned by the user, so that they’ll be accessible through the app. Users will be able to access up to 100,000 songs through this feature.
Apple has lined up many exclusives for the launch of the new service. Trent Reznor, one of the architects of the new service, has shared an instrumental version of The Fragile on the Nine Inch Nails Connect page. (Update: He has also shared an instrumental version of With Teeth.) Pharrell’s “Freedom”, which was used in Apple Music’s first commercial, has debuted through the service.
Apple Music also sees the digital streaming debut of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (which wasn’t even available on the pre-Apple Beats Music) and Taylor Swift’s 1989, as well as the AC/DC catalog (which is also available on other services for the first time today.)
The service will cost $9.99 per month, though it’s free for the first three months. Initially, Apple wasn’t planning to pay rights holders for streams logged during that free trial period. After a bout of criticism from industry figures such as Beggars Group and Taylor Swift, Apple capitulated to the demands for compensation. Subsequently, Apple struck a deal with the Worldwide Independent Network, which represents independent record labels worldwide (including Beggars), as well as the independent digital rights organization Merlin.
Read our feature Station to Station: The Past, Present, and Future of Streaming Music.
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