Apple Music to Debut Worldwide on June 30

The day is finally here: Apple announced Apple Music, a single app that is a revolutionary music streaming service; a worldwide radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and a new social media platform that allows fans to connect with their favourite artists. And since it debuts worldwide on June 30 in over 100 countries, that means the frustration caused by iTunes Radio is over.

“We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan’s fingertips,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app — a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.”

“Apple Music is really going to move the needle for fans and artists,” said Jimmy Iovine. “Online music has become a complicated mess of apps, services and websites. Apple Music brings the best features together for an experience every music lover will appreciate.”

What makes Apple Music stand out from the fragmented industry of music streaming is the three features it comes with. With Apple Music, users can have access to their music catalogue on any of their devices alongside the Apple Music catalogue that contains more than 30 million songs.

You may recall that Apple has hired away music experts. Well, that was the purpose: to create “perfect playlists based on your preferences, and they become better curators the more you listen. The ‘For You’ section of Apple Music provides a fresh mix of albums, new releases, and playlists, which have been personalized just for you,” the company says in the press release.

Secondly, the Apple Music radio, called Beats 1, will broadcast live to more than 100 countries. The radio station is led by influential DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York, and Julie Adenuga in London and will offer exclusive interviews, guest hosts, and more.

Apple revamped its failed social network, Ping, three years after closing it, into Apple Music Connect, a platform that connects fans and music artists. Now users can access lyrics, backstage photos, videos, or releases of their favourite artists’ latest songs directly from their iPhones, and they can comment or like anything the artist has posted. They can also share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter, and email. And when you comment, the artist can respond directly to you.

Apple Music launches on June 30 with a three-month free trial (Apple Canada says “Coming soon”, so it may be delayed here). After that, the highly anticipated music streaming service will cost $9.99 (USD) for an individual membership, while a family plan for up to six members will cost $14.99 (USD). At the end of the trial period, the membership will automatically renew, and the selected payment method will be charged on a monthly basis until auto-renewal is turned off in account settings. The family plan requires iCloud Family Sharing.