Exploring the world of Apple Music

Daniel Ek of Spotify, the Beggars Group label consortium and the almighty Taylor Swift (among many others) are among the many who have all inveighed, quipped or protested against Apple Music, which stands to profoundly reshape the music industry with its launch last week. I’m still not thrilled at the prospect of paying $120 a year to rent music – but Apple Music at least has me considering it.

However, the convergence of iTunes Match, Apple Music, and the new iCloud Music Library can be confusing, and there is a small potential to re-download files you’ve deleted from your Mac as DRM-protected Apple Music files. Beats1 however remains free even for those not willing to pay the monthly subscription charges for Apple Music. The “Connect” tab connected me with social streams of musicians.

With the launch of Apple Music came a new version of iTunes. But it renders those collections obsolete since you can download music through the service for use offline.

Apple Music is a subscription-based app, but is currently offering a free three-month trial. The way Apple syncs files is to scan your library for known music files, and if it finds one, the service gives your account access to Apple’s canonical copy. Tap on Apple Music. Music has become so ubiquitous yet so ephemeral in our lives that the idea of a radio station’s stricture seems outdated.

It’s still early days, but I only saw two posts in my “Connect” section, despite following more than 40 artists. I was skeptical that this would be worthwhile, but was pleasantly surprised when a follow for St. Vincent’s DJ page revealed that she’d recently shared a playlist from the mixtape she spun on Beats 1.

You don’t need to spend any extra money on these Apple Music tips and tricks.

But Apple Music’s personalized recommendations and its link to Siri have given me something to think about – and with a catalog ranging from Delta bluesman Charley Patton to Australian pop star Sia, a whole lot more to listen to.

This is the opinion of Times Online Project Specialist Andrew Fraser. The cautionary notice is quite stark, with would-be upgrading told to consider that iTunes 12.2 could implement “DRM, change your track artwork, alter your tags, and more”. (A version of Apple Music for Android devices will be out later this fall.) And people who use products made by companies like Microsoft, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony will opt for alternatives like Spotify and Pandora, because they can run on a range of devices, from game consoles to television sets. This is one place where Apple needs to make it much clearer just exactly what it’s doing with copy protection and where it’s being used. On Wednesday, complaints began to mount, with a number of users experiencing issues with mismatched song titles, artist names and album art. Reviewers generally suggested to hold off on updating iTunes, and one even called the latest version of the app “a disaster”. Tap the “Manage” button under the “Subscriptions” heading, and you should see an entry for your Apple Music membership next.

You’re shown a dozen or so genres and are asked to pick what you like, what you really like and what you want to never hear. The simple answer is no. If you already have the song stored on your computer and it is DRM-free, then that’s how it will remain.