Apple on Tuesday morning released iTunes 12.5.1 for Mac and Windows, ahead of the release of iOS 10 later that day, and macOS Sierra on September 20th. This release brings along an all-new Apple Music design supposed to bring greater clarity and simplicity to an otherwise clunky application.
Apple Music for Android has passed ten million downloads, according to meta data from Google's Play Store. Apple Music's Android app was last updated on August 25, bumping version number to 1.1.1 and bringing out various app and performance improvements. The app made its debut on Google's ubiquitous mobile platform as a public beta in November 2015, six months following Apple Music unveiling at WWDC 2015. In August 2016, it exited beta and is now for the most part on par with its iOS counterpart in terms of features.
The individual Apple Music tier is $9.99 per month, which works out to an annual cost of $120. But now, you can bring the price of your monthly subscription down to $8.25 by purchasing Apple's new gift card that gives you full twelve months of Apple Music in exchange for $99. These redeemable codes are available from Apple Stores, eBay (with email delivery) and a number of other retailers.
First announced at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, a pair of forthcoming music discovery features went live on Apple Music this past Friday for iOS 10 beta testers.
Rechristened from “Discovery Mix” to “My New Music Mix” and available through the For You section of the Music app on iOS 10, this new curated playlist suggests tunes based on your previously played music.
As a bonus, you also get another personally curated playlist—“My Favorites Mix”. These two auto-updated playlists should take the pain out of discovering new artists and music from Apple Music's vast content library, as first reported on by AppleInsider.
Amazon already has a music store, but its catalog of songs is limited and streaming is only available to those subscribed to the company's $99 per year Prime service. As Re/code said, the online retail giant has also considered a bargain-priced music service that would only work on Echo hardware and be priced at $4 to $5 per month.
Monday, The Financial Times newspaper reported that Amazon has a third offering in the works, a $9.99 per month music-streaming service that would offer the full catalogue of songs that Spotify and Apple offer.
Spotify has been punishing musicians who introduce new material exclusively on other streaming services, reports Bloomberg. Artists who have given Apple premier access to new music have been told that their songs won't be placed on featured playlists.
The Swedish music company has been using such practices for about a year, say sources, and the efforts have escalated during the past few months. Artists who have given exclusives to Jay-Z's Tidal streaming service have seen similar forms of retaliation.
As you know, the major record label Universal Music Group is apparently done with streaming exclusives on Apple Music, Spotify and other services. Sources who spoke with HITS Daily Double caution that the repercussions stemming from the music industry's disdain for exclusives have forced Universal's label Interscope to release Lady GaGa's fifth studio album on a non-exclusive basis.
Now even the album's dance floor anthem, titled “Perfect Illusion,” would launch as an Apple Music exclusive in light of the industry kerfuffle over digital exclusives—despite the fact that a deal had been in place between Apple, Lady Gaga and Interscope.
Not to be outdone by Australia's Telstra and Germany's Deutsche Telekom, British telecommunications operator EE (formerly Everything Everywhere) confirmed that it, too, would soon be treating its customers to six free months of music-streaming via Apple Music and Beats 1 Radio.
To promote this offer, the carrier put together a multi-million pound ad campaign featuring actor Kevin Bacon and pop singer Britney Spears.
Telstra, Australia's #1 wireless carrier, is following in the footsteps of T-Mobile's Binge On by announcing that customers on its Go Mobile plans can now listen to songs, albums and playlists on Apple Music without using their monthly data allowance, said the company.
Apple's practice of locking down long-term exclusive deals with artists has reportedly drawn ire from Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's biggest major label. Frank Ocean’s recent exclusive deal with Apple was a wakeup call for the industry, with UMG set to curtail its practice of supplying Apple Music and other services with longterm exclusives.
“It’s our job to make sure that there’s not just one winner in music streaming,” a source told BuzzFeed News.
German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom is reportedly planning to lure prospective customers into the fold by enticing them with six free months of Apple Music, about a $60 value.
German-language blog iPhone-ticker.de reported Wednesday that Deutsche Telekom is set to announce the offer at IFA in Berlin, Europe's largest consumer electronics show that runs September 2-7.
Spotify is out of contract with all three major music companies, and according to Music Business Worldwide, the renegotiations aren't going well. Citing sources familiar with the talks, the outlet says the sticking point is revenue share.
With Spotify preparing for an IPO, the labels see this as a great opportunity to get the streaming company to raise its revenue split from around 55% to 58%, which is what Apple Music pays. Spotify, however, wants to lower the amount.