If you have not yet read it, take a few minutes to read Jim Dalrymple’s heartfelt critique of Apple Music, iTunes Match, and Apple’s embrace of Hip-Hop.
I do agree with a lot of Jim’s thesis, especially his points about iTunes Match and Apple exclusives. Rock and metal seem to have become second class citizens there.
That said, I have become more and more a fan of the overall Apple Music experience, warts and all. I love being able to share music with my kids via our family plan. There’s hardly a song I can think of that I can’t find on Apple Music. My kids share what they love, which keeps me up on newer music, and I get to share the roots music that informed and influenced the music they love.
I think Apple Music’s DNA is broadening, not narrowing. Though I do agree that Apple exclusives tend to be star-centric, with focus on trying to sign deals with the biggest names, that makes business sense.
But Apple Music is not abandoning other flavors of music. As I write this, I have Metallica’s newest (Hardwired to Self-Destruct) blasting direct from Apple Music to my MacBook Pro’s speakers.
As I make my way through the new releases on Apple Music, I see Disturbed: Live at Red Rocks, Sixx:A.M.’s Prayers for the Blessed, both mixed in with plenty of pop, jazz, country and, yes, plenty of hip-hop. That said, Jim’s point is certainly well taken. There’s way more hip-hop/rap than rock. The trend is clear.
I see this as a bit of a pendulum. The most highly represented music is driven by the personal tastes of the people running the show. That makes sense. Before Beats entered the equation, the pendulum swung the other way.
And with all that said, I hope that the folks at the top will read Jim’s editorial and take it to heart. The choices made with iTunes Match and Apple Music exclusives do matter. Don’t let your own personal tastes limit the Apple Music experience for those folks who skew different.
I’ve used all of top streaming music services and Apple Music is BY FAR the best one! Love it!
Really just started looking at it more closely (been paying since inception), no issues matching every playlist I have ever created from any other service quickly and efficiently in Music. Search has a few glitches but I found 99% of my b-side titles eventually. Now with a pair of QC35’s I’ll be back to Earth in the spring!
I don’t get the obsession with the exclusives Apple is doing. Of COURSE they’re focused on new music that teens and 20-somethigns are listening to and not the 24th release from a metal group… that’s what drives big numbers. But with 30m tracks… who CARES if the charts and exclusives are focused on a genre that you don’t like? Ignore that crap, see if there’s stuff you DO like… as you did here.
“The most highly represented music is driven by the personal tastes of the people running the show. ”
No, it’s driven by what is selling. Taylor Swift is going to massively outsell a new Metallica album. An exclusive there will drive a lot of new people to try Apple Music and some of those will stick.
As to Jim’s rather petulantly made point that people will leave… sure they will. But if you leave just because you’re not getting enough front page attention you’re being a child. Again… 30 million tracks. The lack of music isn’t a credible reason to complain about Apple Music (or Spotify). UX? Reliability? Features? Yes. No music you like? Give me a break.
I love me some rock as much as the next guy, and I think Apple Music is great. Hardly ever use my own library anymore – everything is there so I just stream it and the artist gets paid again.
Jim admonishes people who criticize Apple for everything else and tells us that Apple knows best, that Apple makes what it thinks is the best product and not what customers want, that Apple is not about maximizing products but rather about making the best experience. But for something close to his heart, Jim rants non-stop because he doesn’t get what he wants. He thinks that Apple Music is about churning numbers and not about the best experience.
The hypocrisy is pretty apparent, isn’t it?
Yup! Well said.
It should also be taken into consideration the amount of albums Hip Hop churns out. Between regular albums, ‘mixtapes’ and collaborations, there’s a lot of content to feature every week. And these are being done by some of the biggest hip hop artists today.
Apple is focusing on the iPhone, with the Macs, iPads, AppleTV and AppleWatch as a backdrop, in the same exact way IMO.