Honestly I'm 29 years old and Apple Music is everything I ever wanted as a music consumer. They offer 40 million songs completely on demand for 10 dollars a month. I see a lot of people on here that are totally against the idea of Apple music in general. I just don't understand where the thought process is from? CD's-iTunes was better and more accessible. iTunes-Apple Music is better and more accessible.
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Why are people so apprehensive about music streaming services?
- Thread starter cmiller4642
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I tend to agree with you, if it is something I really like, and Apple or the label pul it from Apple Music, I would have to buy the music again as a download or hard copy. Streaming is great for throw away music like, so it will appeal to teens and people who consume music as background noise. It has little to offer to real music fans. I don't even like downloads (bought ones) that much as I like to see the artwork (not just the front cover), I like printed lyrics, and I like to read the credits.
I think the problem is that people in the 'have to own it' camp often make the mistake of thinking that it has to be an either-or situation. Contrary to posts like that above, I think that streaming libraries offer an absolute bonanza to 'real music fans' because they allow you to dig in deep to the roots and connections of whatever genre interests you. Start following a path of where a given artist or band's influences stem from and you can wander down a virtually endless rabbit hole of discovery all for the cost of a single cd a month. Fine, buy the stuff that we really like, but don't make the mistake of thinking that streaming isn't offering a fabulous value.
For me I think it's the fact that I own so much music already, I'm not sure if AM is worth the price of admission. I'm 39 so have a ton of CD purchased music that i converted to digital and then started buying music through iTunes. Admittedly, I'm also starting to get into the "today's music sucks" camp and find myself listening to the older music I own over and over again rather than giving some new music a chance. If i was in my early 20's then i absolutely think AM would be worth it as opposed to spending money to build up a music collection. I see no benefit to the "Owning model" as opposed to the "streaming model" if you're starting from scratch. but for those with a huge purchased collection already, the "Streaming model" doesn't make as much sense.
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The problem with this though (imho) is that for $10/month I expect to not have to buy any music at all. Why would I want to buy some music and rent the rest? AM basically gives me the same access to my music whether I buy or stream it so imo it really is an all or nothing thing. I typically spend about $50-$75/year on music so if i subscribed to AM then I would have to justify the price by not purchasing anything anymore. This would require that all the music I buy is available to stream on AM (which it's not).
This is the case for me too. I have hundreds of CDs that I have ripped and added to iTunes, plus music that I have purchased from the iTunes store. Paying $120/year seems a little much.
I did subscribe to iTunes Match, and was pleased when the limit was increased so that I could match all of my collection. In reality I mostly used it for iTunes Radio which is/was my preferred way of discovering new music. At $25/year, it was a good deal for me.
With iTunes Radio being dropped from Match, the latter is no longer of great value to me. For the first time in five years I have reinstalled Pandora on iOS, and I will go back to syncing my own music on iOS.
A.
I have Apple Music, and I still buy music that resonates with me.
For me, Apple Music is the ultimate when it comes to a tool that lets me explore music in a way I've never been able to do before. I get to access pretty much anything I can think of. It can be like going down a rabbit hole when I get in there and start clicking around. And if that exploration leads me to something I think I want to permanently add to my collection, I can "pre-screen" the complete album for a week or two to tell if I truly like it, or if it was just a passing interest.
I guess it's redundant to say that I'd pay money for a service like that, because I do. Being able to explore music like that is worth something to me. Cutting down on the number of albums I buy that I end up not liking almost immediately is just a nice side benefit.
I don't see a contradiction between streaming and owning either. I have a 5-figure number of songs in my library (many of which are not available for streaming), and still find streaming useful to discover new stuff. If I find something I really like and know I will listen to frequently, I still purchase. But I prefer Spotify over Apple Music (mostly because of the enormous selection of great playlists you can find on Spotify, but also because I don't like how Apple Music mashes the iTunes library and the streaming songs together).
I use spotify to compliment my music collection, not replace. I use iTunes radio for the same thing.
I'll never use a streaming service as my music collection as I don't trust it. Putting an entire collection in a service that we have no guarantees of how long it will be around, if the data will stay relevant (etc) doesn't seem like a great idea. This is the company who regularly drops services, overhauls services(leaving them without key features they used to have) and so on, and given how much my music means to me, I don't want to loose it. Thus I'll continue buying CDs.
I'll never use a streaming service as my music collection as I don't trust it. Putting an entire collection in a service that we have no guarantees of how long it will be around, if the data will stay relevant (etc) doesn't seem like a great idea. This is the company who regularly drops services, overhauls services(leaving them without key features they used to have) and so on, and given how much my music means to me, I don't want to loose it. Thus I'll continue buying CDs.
I've got a free Spotify account for that, so I rarely buy any albums that I end up hating. I would just rather put the £120 annual fee for Apple Music into adding music to my collection which is not going to disappear if I stop paying the monthly fee or if the service ends.
It's nice to have the option to rent or buy and I'm happy with my choice.
I enjoyed using iTunes Radio and with iTunes Match, it was commercial free. I used the unlimited skips mod on my jailbroken devices and that made it even better. When I heard a song I liked, I bought it on iTunes.
I activated my three month Apple Music trial about two weeks ago. I kind of like it. I use Shazam to identify songs I hear on the radio at work and I buy them. Today, I discovered that when I tap on buy in iTunes in the Shazam app, it takes me to that album but instead of previewing the song, it plays the whole song. I'll still buy the songs though.
I have several other phones including four Android phones and a tablet and adding the Apple Music app on each is offering me a three month trial on each one. I think I may just take Apple up on that offer when each trial expires. Could last me over a year.
I activated my three month Apple Music trial about two weeks ago. I kind of like it. I use Shazam to identify songs I hear on the radio at work and I buy them. Today, I discovered that when I tap on buy in iTunes in the Shazam app, it takes me to that album but instead of previewing the song, it plays the whole song. I'll still buy the songs though.
I have several other phones including four Android phones and a tablet and adding the Apple Music app on each is offering me a three month trial on each one. I think I may just take Apple up on that offer when each trial expires. Could last me over a year.
Gotcha. Free Spotify must work differently in your country. If I add something to my list, I can't just go back and play "it". It shuffles all of the things in my list, and then plays. Frustrating when I want to dive right back into something.I've got a free Spotify account for that, so I rarely buy any albums that I end up hating. I would just rather put the £120 annual fee for Apple Music into adding music to my collection which is not going to disappear if I stop paying the monthly fee or if the service ends.
It's nice to have the option to rent or buy and I'm happy with my choice.
There probably isn't any single universal reason why the music services are unpopular. But I will share my own individual reason:
I loved iTunes radio because it offered a way for me to hear both old and new music with the performers and styles I like, and it was free. The occasional short and tasteful ads did not bother me at all. Beats 1 is terrible. The new Apple Music is probably a decent service for people who listen to music a lot. I used iTunes Radio for perhaps 2 hours per month every other month. So for 12 hours per year iTunes Radio was perfect, but Apple Music is way overpriced.
I loved iTunes radio because it offered a way for me to hear both old and new music with the performers and styles I like, and it was free. The occasional short and tasteful ads did not bother me at all. Beats 1 is terrible. The new Apple Music is probably a decent service for people who listen to music a lot. I used iTunes Radio for perhaps 2 hours per month every other month. So for 12 hours per year iTunes Radio was perfect, but Apple Music is way overpriced.
Agree.... Its actually the reverse of what i was thinking of.
I guess its a change... Like anything, we are all used to buying CD's (or were at some stage).
Add to the fact, its not just music streaming services, it could be any streaming service in general, but music is probably more hinted as "u shall not own my music" like some sort of Lord of the Rings quote...
Given the fact u never really physically have anything either plays a part too. but i guess music is more "personal" experience than any. Which would be why i don't mind movies coming and going with iTunes, but I DO mind when Apple starts taking my own music i matched.
So ya, i feel everyone's pain there.
I own a ton of music already (records, cassettes, CDs, MP3). I subscribe to Apple Music, and still purchase any music that I want to own.
I think of streaming services as a service, not as a replacement for buying music that you love and that speaks to you. $10 a month lets me try out music, and investigate things I may not normally get a chance to. It serves me up intelligently crafted playlists that incorporate all the stuff I already love with stuff I've yet to discover.
I just don't think it has to be one or the other.
I don't get the hype about streaming services, but I do get the "here, listen to this because this is all there is". You're 29, and I can barely remember which bands I saw 29 years ago - ouch. I'm around Portland and Seattle, and I'm from NYC - there's music that radio played before and around then, and then there was the club scene and underground groups and the guys I went to raves in Pontiac MI and the time I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn play on a tabletop a few feet from me in Austin before there was MTV.
Streaming music, to me, is a platform for those artists trying to connect with you and us and me that isn't tied to some commercial alliance and for those who are tired - so goddamn tired - of being fed music Cold(play) down my throat. If it wasn't for other sources I never would have heard Freaky Chakra, Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, or Martina McBride - they weren't on the radio stations I was listening to at the time, but they connected with me via alternative sources. Streaming radio is, to me, just a newer method of connection of artists with the masses and of you with pretty cool artists that you'd otherwise never experience. I'd be apprehensive if I lost my conduit of exposure. But, I never shied from paying the cover charge - gotta pay for the etherial experience, or take the crap that's served up if you just want the free stuff. Cheers.
Streaming music, to me, is a platform for those artists trying to connect with you and us and me that isn't tied to some commercial alliance and for those who are tired - so goddamn tired - of being fed music Cold(play) down my throat. If it wasn't for other sources I never would have heard Freaky Chakra, Motorhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, or Martina McBride - they weren't on the radio stations I was listening to at the time, but they connected with me via alternative sources. Streaming radio is, to me, just a newer method of connection of artists with the masses and of you with pretty cool artists that you'd otherwise never experience. I'd be apprehensive if I lost my conduit of exposure. But, I never shied from paying the cover charge - gotta pay for the etherial experience, or take the crap that's served up if you just want the free stuff. Cheers.
Wouldn't using a free service like Spotify or Pandora accomplish the same thing that a paid AM subscription does?
I'd say they cater to different moods. If I want to just "play stuff like X" I'll do it radio style. It's usually pretty inconsistent but now and then something will pique my interest. Whenever I do come across something that grabs me, I'll go right to the full album and play it.
Usually though, I like to explore artists catalogs, look at release dates, explore full albums.
The majority of the time, I prefer listening to albums from beginning to end as the artist intended, rather than a random stream of stuff. Only then will I know if an album is worthy of a purchase, or if it'll simply be something I check out, and then move on from.
Makes sense. I cant shake the feeling that if I pay to stream then I shouldn't have to buy. On the fence about AM right now.
I quite agree.
I agree except that in the case of classical music and large works, I like to hear the whole thing several times before I decide to buy it. So for that reason alone I've been enjoying Apple Music and have kept the sub after end of the trial. And I confess to liking the option to hear new music via streaming that I might not be interested in buying, same as hearing music of artists if I have some of their albums and don't plan to buy more but enjoy some of their other albums enough to download and have around for awhile.
I agree with the sentiments but I prefer iTunes to Spotify. What I did was start a blank library for Apple Music and generally (via the View perference) I don't allow that library to show me anything but what I've downloaded from Apple Music. When I want to compare something from AM to some work I've already purchased, and want to have both in my AM library, I let iTunes show me the library of my purchases briefly and I'll re-download the one of interest. But if the work I own already is from some CD I've ripped, then I'll drag copies of the converted files from my other library into a separate folder that I use to show my AM library what I want it to see from my main library. In that way when iTunes matches the thing, and then may download DRM'd versions, it's not uploading anything from my main library except what I have specified and whatever it downloads is temporary anyway as far as I'm concerned). The reason I do this is that I really only want the Apple Music stuff I download long enough to know if I wish to purchase it. May seem like a lot of work for the cost and benefit but for me it's been very satisfactory.
This, exactly!
Of course I'd be happier if one could just download something from Apple Music into one's main library and have it work like a purchase (for copying, syncing etc) but I do understand why that's not going to work for the music distributors and the creators. And it wouldn't work for any of us after awhile either since... no pay for one's work is a disincentive for anyone to keep producing music for us at all.
Overall for me, the price per month for Apple Music is reasonable. Buying something like an opera or collection of sonatas and then after awhile not liking the purchase as well as some other version would be (and in the past has been) a rather expensive mistake.
I did the free trial but was annoyed that it messed up my tagging and artwork on certain albums.. I've just signed up again and am going to give it a good try and I'm using my laptop as a blank canvas and recreating my music library plus adding in some new albums along the way.
I quite like it but i'm undecided at the minute.
A few things really bug me
1. is missing tracks for streaming it makes me feel like I'm missing out and i wouldn't have that problem if i bought the album etc.
2. DRM its not a massive issue but sometimes I need to piece music for work an that restricts me etc.
3. this one isn't a Apple music fault but I don't know I can justify the cost, The annual cost is more than I've been spending on music and at minute I'm just streaming stuff i already own but then its handy having it all in the cloud and matched on my phone..
Think i'll give it another month and then decide
I quite like it but i'm undecided at the minute.
A few things really bug me
1. is missing tracks for streaming it makes me feel like I'm missing out and i wouldn't have that problem if i bought the album etc.
2. DRM its not a massive issue but sometimes I need to piece music for work an that restricts me etc.
3. this one isn't a Apple music fault but I don't know I can justify the cost, The annual cost is more than I've been spending on music and at minute I'm just streaming stuff i already own but then its handy having it all in the cloud and matched on my phone..
Think i'll give it another month and then decide
