Both approaches can work well, though.īar the odd tone-deaf moment – a penny for St. Apple’s tend to be shorter with 12-20 tracks at a time, while Spotify’s tend to be longer at 80 tracks or more: better suited for playing on shuffle. The obvious comparison is to Spotify, which also has a large selection of playlists compiled in-house. In one day exploring, I flitted between Resident Advisor’s guide to Ninja Tune Pitchfork’s Early ‘80s Disco playlist a Northern Soul collection a selection of hip-hop tracks sampling Booker T & the MGs and playlists exploring the influences on Chvrches, Nirvana and My Bloody Valentine.Īpple Music also has a group of “The A-List” playlists covering pop, dance, alternative, hip-hop, rock, R&B, electronic and new artists, which offer a good selection of what’s bubbling up on the service. It’s one of Apple Music’s strongest features: a deep selection of playlists that mines plenty of interesting niches. New is also the way in to the playlists being compiled by Apple’s in-house team and guest curators.

Some elements, including Beats 1, are available for free to non-members who sign in with an Apple ID. Apple does have Taylor Swift’s latest album 1989 as a streaming exclusive, while new releases from Dr Dre and Drake/Future have debuted on Apple Music a week or two before appearing on other streaming services.Ī membership – Apple is avoiding the word “subscription” – costs £9.99 a month for one person, or £14.99 for a family plan covering up to six people.

Here, there’s also a live radio station, Beats 1, and a social section called Connect.įor the most part, the catalogue is the same as those of its rivals. Like rival services, the core of Apple Music is a catalogue of recordings – 30m songs – to stream “on demand”, with recommendations, themed playlists and radio-like stations to help people navigate it. An Android version will follow later this year. Basic detailsĪpple Music is available for PC and Mac as part of the iTunes software, and for iOS devices within their preloaded Music app. Their decision will be based on a service that does some things well, but – as Apple itself has admitted – needs improvement in other areas. Three months on, Apple Music’s earliest adopters are nearing the end of its three-month free trial, and must decide whether its blend of algorithms and people is worth paying for.

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