What’s in Apple Music to Make Listeners Switch From Streaming Rivals

by Don Reisinger

Although Apple’s new focus is on streaming music, it’s important to note that a user’s entire music library is still available on the device. All Apple Music does is make more tracks available to supplement the content a user already has on an iPhone, iPad or a computer.

One of the nice things about Apple Music is that it makes all iTunes content available to users, no matter what they’d like. So, if a user wants to add a song, album or music video to their library, it’s just one click away. The days of buying tracks on iTunes may very well be over if Apple Music takes off the way the company’s music store did.

Intelligent Search is a feature built into Apple Music that could make it far more appealing to folks who like to discover new tracks. The feature provides suggestions on other artists or songs to consider after a user inputs a query. It’s a great way to find new music that a user may not already know about, and could see Apple Music libraries grow in size awfully quickly.

After signing up for Apple Music, users are asked to identify their interests in music and artists by tapping on a series of bubbles floating around the screen. Based on that, Apple creates curated music stations for the user that were pre-established by humans and not algorithms. Apple said that having the human touch is a major differentiator that shouldn’t be overlooked in the marketplace.

Beats 1 is a 24/7 streaming music radio station for those who want to hear both popular and new tracks. Zane Lowe, a well-known DJ who picked a group of fellow DJs to play live music over the Apple Music service, heads the service. Beats 1 is not about playing what’s popular, however; it’s about playing songs the DJs like and the average user may not have heard.

What’s clear after using Apple Music is that it creates one big radio station for users. If folks want to listen to their own songs, they can do it. For those who want a curated list of tracks to be played beyond what’s in their library, that’s available, as well. And in those times when music discovery is the aim, Beats 1 seems to be a solid place to start. All in all, Apple Music appears to run the gamut for any real music lover.

Connect is arguably one of the most important features built into Apple Music. The service allows artists to create their own pages and share their thoughts, lyrics to new songs, videos, audio and more with their fans. Better yet, it’s a place where unknown artists can connect with their fans and try to grow a base on which they can launch their careers. Connect may be a good way for relatively unknown artists to catch a break.

Connect isn’t a one-way street. Instead, Apple has built an apparatus that allows music fans to comment on posts and engage in full communication with artists. Apple is trying to make its Music service “stickier” than competing offerings by getting artists and their fans to connect with each other and communicate. Whether it will work, however, remains to be seen.

One of the smart things Apple did with Apple Music is to make it available across platforms. Current iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners can, of course, access Apple Music, but so too can those who have Macs and Windows PCs. Apple Music is also likely to come to Android in the future. In order for Apple Music to succeed, it must be platform-agnostic—and Apple knows it.

With its launch, Apple is offering three months free on Apple Music. However, after that period is up, users will be required to pay $9.99 per month for an individual plan. The company’s family membership is $14.99 per month and allows up to six people to access Apple Music on their respective devices. The pricing is in line with competing services, which means Apple cannot undercut competitors and attract those seeking a deal.