Micah Singleton, writing for The Verge:
As of October, Apple Music has 6.5 million paid users, which is a great number for paying subscribers for such a young service. But Apple Music’s biggest problem is and will continue to be that millions and millions of people stream music for free from other services, and have little incentive to switch to a paid music service.
And:
67 percent of Americans streamed music every week before Apple Music existed. With no free tier, Apple has the cumbersome job of convincing the public, the majority of whom have chosen free services, to switch from something they know and pay for the same music without commercials.
And:
Apple Music also needs a standalone desktop app far, far removed iTunes, one of the least beloved pieces of software Apple has created. Earlier this year, Apple replaced iPhoto and Aperture with Photos for OS X, which has been a step up for most users. It should do the same for iTunes and build a new Music app for the desktop from the ground up.
Hard to argue with this logic. Apple Music is an odd duck, a part of the Apple ecosystem that doesn’t crush the competition with some combination of superior design, improved performance, or unmatchable convenience.
Apple Music doesn’t take advantage of its position inside the fence. Apple Music is tethered to the iCloud/iTunes music model, a hybrid created by the requirement that Apple Music play nice with my owned music. Lots of well publicized issues with this model.
Personally, I find the idea of a pure Apple Music app appealing, an app focused on discovery and music sharing, one with a social component that let me share my loved playlists with friends I follow, and let approved friends make their own additions to those playlists. I’d love the ability to “like” tracks, including tracks on Beats 1 and any radio station, and have those tracks automatically be added to a playlist for later recall.
Apple Music has a lot going for it. But I think it needs a reimagined interface, one with no strings.
Apple Music works for me because of the integration with iTunes, because it plays nice with my owned music.
A clean standalone streaming only app for the people who want that sounds good as an addition, but not at the cost of that integration that makes Apple Music stand above all other streaming services.
Photos is a step up from Aperture?
Amateur. That is the dumbest thing I’ve read today, except for Donald Trump calling for barring Muslims from entering the US.
Not sure wha to think. As a non-Apple-Muisc-Subcriber, its hard for me to feel one way or the other. That iTunes needs a total overhaul is beyond doubt. If they would kick everything else non-music related OUT of iTunes, that might be an option. Frankly, it seems Apple has offered lots of different music options over the years, and they keep changing what they are offering, I’m guessing because nothing is getting much traction. For me, it’s not the UI, or the iTunes integration… or lack thereof, but just the cost. Lots of other services are, for me, just as good, and free.
I’ve had a modest iTunes library (~12,000 songs) that dates back a couple of decades of ripped CDs and a smattering of downloads, and for the last several years, iTunes albums. I was at the front of the line for iTunes Match and had great success with it. When Apple Music launched with the Family Plan I didn’t hesitate. I’ve seen many of the complaints about the service, but I can say I’ve not once had a problem with how this all just worked together for me. If I’m just lucky then great, but otherwise the only funky thing I run into with Apple Music seems to be licensing issues with songs where an album (usually older and not one I own) may have several songs not available for streaming.
Wow, that escalated quickly.
The thing that pushed me into kicking Rdio to the curb and choosing Apple Music was the fact I could call up nearly any song I want via Siri. Siri integration makes the clunky UI less of an issue on iOS, but it’s still not good on Mac.