Shortly before 17h Tuesday, June 30, a new update of the iPhone appeared on our screens. It was much more exciting than the others: it marked the launch of Apple Music, the music streaming service of paying Apple brand. As Spotify, Deezer or Pandora, Apple Music now offers millions of songs against a monthly subscription. Although a bit late to the market, Apple had every reason to lean to: listen to streaming music grew strongly (with subscriptions up 32% last year), while the download declined (-8% in 2014)
Recall that the company had launched the most used download library in the world in 2003. the iTunes Store. And most importantly, Apple has a significant advantage: Apple Music is integrated directly into thousands of devices.
Update
For iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, simply upgrade to iOS 8.4: Apple Music just happens under the “Music” icon. Mac or PC, it is also the latest version of iTunes. In terms of Android users, they will have to wait until fall to use Apple Music.
The service is free for three months – during which the artists will still be paid by Taylor Swift. After this period, you will be charged 9.99 euros per month, or 14.99 euros if you chose a family membership, covering up to six people. The subscription is non-binding: you can unsubscribe whenever you want
Customized suggestions
Apple Music presents no navigational difficulties, simply circulate between the five tabs at the bottom of the screen: “To”, “News”, “Radio”, “Connect” and “My Music” . Advantage of the new app, it includes the iTunes purchases automatically in the “My Music” section: all the music you downloaded there. This means that when you “Add to My Music” on a title found on Apple Music, it is added to your iTunes songs. Streaming and purchase in one place, it’s perfect, especially since you can combine the two into playlists.
But the heart Apple Music is “To”. As soon as you open the app, she tries to get to know you and establish a profile. As with Beats (acquired last year by Apple for $ 3 billion), you must click or remove bubbles to indicate that you like or dislike certain types of music, then some artists. In my case, I delete “reggae” and click twice on “rock”, “folk” and “electro” to show that these are genres that I like. By taking into account these results, more music already purchased from iTunes and the songs you “Likez” by clicking on a small heart, Apple offers music playlists and albums. Result: a playlist of “French touch” (Justice, Kavinsky), another entitled “Cooking the sound of electro” (Air, Caribou, Nicolas Jaar) and an album of Boards of Canada group. This gives rather want to explore.
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Visually, the Apple Music interface is perhaps less refined than what Apple has a habit of doing. One only has to see the many different color patches in the “News” tab. When listening to an album, Apple extract the colors on the entire page, which is pretty nice. When your laptop is turned off, only the album cover appears on the screen. The music automatically mutes when you call, will drop a few seconds to a text message or media alert if you let the sound or the vibrator.
30 million titles
We can also spend considerable time in “News” and its many sections. Obviously, the “1989″ album of Taylor Swift is currently in focus. But you can scroll down and learn about the “Securities of time” (AaRON, The Weeknd, Yael Naim) or the “Sort Songs” (Feder, Omi, Felix Jaehn). Going down again, we arrive at a selection of playlists created by humans and not robots. There for all occasions: “party”, “cook”, “having the blues”, “drive”, “barbecue”, “do sports”
(!).
The catalog of 30 million titles appears to cover many things. In trying to fulfill my music library (via the top right magnifier for research), Apple reserves while “Gold” Chet Faker, “Stay golden” Contemporary Sadness, “Blocked” or Casseurs Flowters of the music the opening of the TV series “Horseman Bojack”. Even looking only two letters (“Uh” Fujiya & amp; Miyagi), Apple has no trouble seeing what I mean. Grand missing that makes a little task: the Beatles.
Connecting artists and fans
We preferred to linger in the “News” rather than “Radio” which Apple yet we boast quality. Available round the clock, Beats 1 should be held by top DJs, who take turns from Los Angeles to London. By listening, we heard a lot of chatter on the radio operation as a party that starts with organizers who are trying to set the mood. Impossible to know if an English radio could seduce the French.
Apple relies on “Connect”, which, as its name implies, connects artists and fans. The artists that you can follow will post pictures and unpublished videos, songs on which they work, information on their upcoming tour, etc. We propose to follow the One Direction, Muse and Leona Lewis, for whom I have very little interest. Even more curious, Nirvana is to follow: that is the question of what news could get us (in fact, a photo shoot of the legendary album “Neverrmind”). The section is still quite thin, but is designed as a social network, it is possible that develops progressively, that is if the musicians involved.
With its wide selection and intelligent playlists, Apple Music does not have to blush before its competitors. Even if users will have to learn to juggle some misbegotten registration. If “Connect” does not quickly, they might very well abandon such. It still remains thousands of things to explore on this extremely dense App. This new competitor could shake up the streaming market. Meanwhile, n e, we have a playlist to finish.
Amandine Schmitt
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