Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, which are broadcast live to over 200 countries 24 hours a day. The service was announced on June 8, 2015, and launched on June 30, 2015. New subscribers get a one-month free or six months free trial with the purchase of select products before the service requires a monthly subscription.
Originally strictly a music service, Apple Music began expanding into video in 2016. Executive Jimmy Iovine has stated that the intention for the service is to become a “cultural platform”, and Apple reportedly wants the service to be a “one-stop shop for pop culture”. The company is actively investing heavily in the production and purchasing of video content, both in terms of music videos and concert footage that support music releases, as well as web series and feature films.
The original iOS version of Apple Music received mixed reviews, with criticism directed towards a user interface deemed “not intuitive”. However, it was praised for its playlist curation, a vast library of songs to stream, and its integration with other Apple devices and services. In iOS 10, the app received a significant redesign, which received positive reviews for an updated interface with less clutter, improved navigation, and a bigger emphasis on users’ libraries. Apple Music gained popularity rapidly after its launch, passing the milestone of 10 million subscribers in only six months. Though Apple does not disclose the amount of paid subscribers, research firm Midia Research estimated it at 78 million as of November 2021. The service reached over 100 million songs in its streaming catalog in October 2022.[1]
Description
Apple Music allows users to stream over 100 million songs to their device on demand. The service offers curated playlists by music experts and recommendations tailored to a users music preference.[2] The service provides three live 24-hour radio stations: Apple Music 1 (previously branded as Beats 1), led by DJ Zane Lowe, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, which is broadcast in over 100 countries.[3] The Apple Music Radio service is free for all users, even without an Apple Music subscription. Apple Music subscribers can create a profile to share their music with friends and follow other users to view the music they are listening to on a regular basis.[4] Apple Music’s use of iCloud, which matches a users’ songs to those found on the service, allows users to combine their iTunes music library with their Apple Music library and listen to their music all in one place. Additionally, the service is heavily integrated into Apple’s own in-house services such as their personal voice assistant Siri as well as their audio and video streaming protocol AirPlay. As of late 2019, users also have the ability to access the full version of Apple Music through an Apple-designed web player in beta.
Apple Music’s interface consists of five tabs: “Library”, “Home” (Formerly: “Listen Now”), “Browse”, “Radio”, and “Search”. The “Library” tab shows the user’s music collection, with options to view songs by “Playlists”, “Artists”, “Albums”, “Songs”, or “Downloaded Music”. Below these options, the tab also shows music recently added to the user’s library. The “Home” tab recommends music for the user based on their music tastes. Human expert selections supplement the algorithmic curation, while users are able to “Like” and “Dislike” songs to further improve music suggestions. “Browse” shows new album releases from artists, playlists curated by the Apple Music team, upcoming album releases, as well as different categories including “Genres”, “Moods”, “Top Charts”, and “Music Videos”. In 2024, Apple released a new feature as part of iOS 18 replacing the ‘Browse’ tab. The ‘New’ feature is personalized to each listener. The “Radio” tab incorporates Apple Music Radio and other radio stations which play genre-specific or artist-related music, depending on the user’s preference. The radio feature in Apple Music allows users to skip songs, view previously played songs on the station, as well as view songs playing next. The “Search” tab features a search box where users can search for artists, albums, Apple Music users, or songs by name or by lyrics.[5] Below the search box, a list of recent user searches and overall trending searches on the service are shown.
When a song is playing, a “Now Playing” bar appears above the bottom navigation bar. When viewed, the Now Playing section allows users to add a song to their library, download it to their device, and like or dislike the song to improve suggestions on the “Home” tab. Other functions of the “Now Playing” section include the ability to control what music plays next and put songs on shuffle or repeat. Additionally, users can view live lyrics of the song they are listening to through the now playing card, which displays the song’s lyrics live in sync with the time while it plays to the user.[6]
Each artist page includes a profile banner and a “Play” button which automatically creates a radio station based around the artist. Artist pages also include sections for their featured releases, albums, singles, top songs, and background information. Apple Music users can create their own profile on the service, thus allowing them to follow other users and see what music their followers are listening to.[7]
Users also have the ability to view their most played songs, artists, and albums of the entire year through a feature called Apple Music Replay, accessible on the “Listen Now” tab.[8][9] This feature tracks listening times down to the minute giving users accurate information on how much they may have listened to a specific song, artist, or album. The feature also tells the user specific genres that they listened to throughout the year, placing them in order from most listened-to to least listened-to. Apple Music Replay also provides an interactive system where it plays a generated animation that recaps what your activity was like over the past year, along with a milestone section that shows specific goals you reached. [1]
| Name | Bitrate |
|---|---|
| High Efficiency | HE-AAC (variable bitrate) |
| High Quality | AAC 256 kbit/s |
| Lossless | ALAC 16-bit/44.1kHz to 24-bit/48kHz |
| Hi-Res Lossless | ALAC 16-bit or 24-bit/88.2kHz to 192kHz |
The service is compatible with iOS devices running version 8.4 or later,[10] iPadOS devices running version 13.0 or later, Music app on macOS Catalina or later, iTunes version 12.2 or later for Windows PCs,[11] as well as Apple Watch, Apple TV, Apple CarPlay, and Apple HomePod.[10] It is also available for Android devices running version 4.3 or later, ChromeOS devices, Amazon Echo devices, and Sonos speakers. For devices without a native application, Apple Music is available on the web with a web player in beta.[12] On October 27, 2021, Sony announced that Apple Music would become available on the PlayStation 5.[13] On October 12, 2022, Apple Music became available for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.[14]
