One of Apple’s biggest announcements at this year’s WWDC
event was its brand new streaming music service. The offering has long been
rumored, but Apple made it official this morning, setting the stage for the
biggest player in digital music sales to also become the biggest player in
online streaming music. Apple Music will eventually hit Android, too.
The Apple Music offering puts Apple in direct competition
with existing services like Spotify and Rdio, offering a large catalog of
on-demand tracks to users for a monthly subscription price of $9.99. The
service comes with a 3-month free trial, too, meaning users can take it for a
test ride before committing to it full-time.
Apple’s new service looks like it will offer some big
advantages over other options, including native integration with the iOS music
app itself. It features curated playlists, too, as well as special collections
curated by top artists.
The service will include a live DJ service called Beats 1
with DJs stationed in NYC, London and LA.
Apple built all the functions into the Apple Music iOS 9 app
meaning Apple Music has a substantial advantage over others in the media
streaming space. It comes with every iPhone.
The new Apple Music service also includes the ability for
listeners to connect with artists. Called Connect, the service pulls in all the
social media content — from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram — into one portal.
Apple Music launches on June 30th and will cost $9.99 a
month for a single user. A family pass with six users will cost $14.99.
Initially, the full feature set will only be available on iOS, OS X and Windows
computers. The service will hit Apple TV and Android phones in the fall of
2015.
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