Way before Apple even confirmed the news Apple Music, it had been worldwide rumour. After hiring music DJs and signing artists, Apple Music is finally here.
Tomorrow morning at 11am ET/8am PT, Apple users will have access to a three-month period of the service. To get the update users will have to upgrade to iOS 8.4. An hour after, Beats 1 will launch, with the inaugural Beats 1 radio broadcast presented by DJ Zane Lowe.
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Apple Senior Director and former beats CEO Ian Rogers has laid out the details of the roll out. Apple had announced a few weeks ago that the service would be rolled out on 30 June.
There is no doubt that Apple Music is going to shake up both the music streaming services and traditional music outlets.
Read more: Apple Music: the right move, or a pricey dead end?
The Apple Music launch is here and the anticipation has become reality. The wait for the service’s launch has not been without drama. Tyler Swift and other artist, with Swift leading the pack, objected to not being paid for their music during the free trial period.
Apple reversed its decision and promised to pay artists. However, even with this controversy, the anticipation has not deterred the focus on the launch.
The competition between Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music has been interesting to follow but as yet none of them stand out in terms of service and features. Spotify, perhaps only marginally, beats Apple Music and Tidal, both in features and user base but the difference is marginal.
Giving Apple Music the edge will be its Beats 1 radio. During the launch of Apple Music, the company insisted that its music is not selected by algorithms but by people who understand music. The radio station sees this taken to a much more elevated level. The DJs on Beats 1 will be headed by ex-BBC host Zane Lowe and will feature other djs.
The uptake to Apple Music will be huge at the beginning but the test will be how many users will continue to use it and pay for it after the free trial period is done.
After the trial period, according to Apple, users will have access to over 30 million songs for just US$9.99 a month, or US$14.99 for your family.
