There’s been talk of Apple releasing their great, big music streaming service for a while now, and we now have the loads of details plus an official launch date.
Apple Music will become available Tuesday 30 June, and boy, is it chock-full of features that could very well blow competitors like Spotify, Rdio and Google Play Music out of the water.
The new mega music service comes in the form of an application, which will comprise of a massive streaming service, a 24-hour worldwide live broadcasting radio station as well as creating a streamline that will connect artists and fans directly.
Accessible on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, Apple TV and eventually Android phones, too, Apple Music has the unique function of coupling both a user’s iTunes library – whether that be ripped CDs or music bought from the Apple Store, with the Apple streaming catalogue that boasts of over 30 million songs, simplifying music listening into one neat, consolidated space.
Not only that, Apple are launching their first ever live radio station entitled Beats 1, which will live broadcast 24 hours a day to over 100 countries, they’ve got three massive names of the game at the helm, with DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London each running programs.
Apple Music will also breakdown the barrier between artist and fans with Connect, which will allow artists to share numerous bits and pieces like lyrics, backstage photos, videos and even new tunes directly to fans’ phones.
For an extra bit of fun, the beloved Siri will also be updated with a whole breadth of musical knowledge, one can simply ask the automated service to “play the best songs from the 1990s” or “play the Sufjan Steven’s best song” to which it will.
As a handy comparative chart from Engadget highlights, Apple Music will also offer exclusive content, as well as videos, curated playlists, offline listening and and online media storage – however they have not stated what the music sound quality will be.
As we mentioned, this brand-spankin’ application rolls out at on June 30, with users being provided with a free, three month membership – after which a monthly subscription fee will apply. There is no mention of an ongoing freemium option like Spotify, Rdio, YouTube and Pandora’s radio.
This is a massive move forward for the tech-giants, pitting them directly against the likes of Spotify, who as Fact point out, aren’t too concerned, the Swedish streaming service’s CEO Daniel Ek tweeting “Oh ok.” after Apple Music was unveiled, then deleting the blasé post.
Check out the Apple Music teaser ad below:
