Although Spotify still ranks as one of the top music streaming services in the world, Apple Music has taken the United States by storm. It also blends your personal music catalog with on-demand streaming and live radio, all in one place. At the moment, Apple offers a three-month free trial, though signs are beginning to emerge that the company is thinking of scaling this back to just one month. However, Apple claims that when master recordings are converted into AAC files using the Apple Digital Masters workflow which Apple outlines with excruciating detail for anyone interested , the result is indistinguishable from the master recordings and thus potentially better-than-CD quality , while keeping file sizes relatively small. Competing music services like Deezer, Tidal , and most recently Amazon Music , take a different approach to high-quality audio. They tout the sonic benefits of their lossless and hi-res FLAC files available in their more expensive optional subscription tiers , which they claim are an improvement on any lossy formats, including AAC, regardless of how those AAC files were created. Is there a difference?
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Apple Music is a music and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing, curated playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio station Apple Music 1 , Apple Music Hits, and Apple Music Country, which broadcasts live to over countries 24 hours a day. The service was announced on June 8, , and launched on June 30, in over countries worldwide. New subscribers get a six-month free trial period before the service requires a monthly subscription. Originally strictly a music service, Apple Music began expanding into video in Executive Jimmy Iovine has stated that the intention for the service is to become a "cultural platform", and Apple reportedly wants the service to be a "one-stop shop for pop culture". The company is actively investing heavily in the production and purchasing of video content, both in terms of music videos and concert footage that support music releases, as well as web series and feature films. The original iOS version of Apple Music received mixed reviews, with criticism directed towards a user interface deemed "not intuitive". However, it was praised for its playlist curation, a vast library of songs to stream, and its integration with other Apple devices and services.
Apple singlehandedly turned the digital music marketplace on its head when it launched the iTunes Store in Since then, the iTunes Store has evolved into Apple Music , a music streaming service to compete with the likes of Spotify, Tidal, and other services. Our guide to everything Apple Music can help set the record straight. What the heck is this thing? Apple Music combines subscription-based music streaming with global radio-like programming. The Music app, which is how you use the service, comes pre-installed on all new iPhones, iPads, iPod touches, and Macs. You can also access Apple Music on the web at music. Not at all. The iTunes Store is now a section of the Music app and you can still buy music there.
