Tag: apple music

  • Kanye West’s Donda 2 won’t be available on Apple Music or Spotify

    Kanye West’s Donda 2 won’t be available on Apple Music or Spotify

    The news: Donda 2 will be available exclusively on the artist’s own tech product, the Stem Player, according to Kanye West (not yet tracked).

    Ian’s take: Okay, I love Kanye West, and the Stem Player has some exciting capabilities, but I am not spending $200 on an MP3 player to listen to the album. That being said, I wasn’t aware that artists make just 12% of what the industry makes. I think that streaming services should pay artists more per stream since the entire value of the services is given by the artists.

  • Apple Music acquires Primephonic classical music service, promises dedicated app next year

    Apple Music acquires Primephonic classical music service, promises dedicated app next year

    The news: Apple has confirmed their most recent acquisition of Primephonic, which will be shut down on September 7 prior to being integrated into Apple Music next year.

    • Primephonic is “the renowned classical music streaming service that offers an outstanding listening experience with search and browse functionality optimized for classical, premium-quality audio, handpicked expert recommendations, and extensive contextual details on repertoire and recordings.”
    • A dedicated Apple Music Classical app is said to launch sometime next year with Primephonic integration and exclusive content

    Our take: This acquisition comes a bit out of left field, but seems to tap into a music niche that Apple wants to be associated with their brand. But the fact that Primephonic is just shutting down on September 7 with no integration into Apple Music until next year is a bad look. Why not keep the service up until you can make a smooth transition into Apple Music?

  • Apple launches Spatial and Lossless audio formats in Apple Music

    Apple launches Spatial and Lossless audio formats in Apple Music

    The news: Hours after the conclusion of WWDC 2021, Apple has released two major new audio formats in Apple Music.

    • Select songs are available in Spatial Audio, which surrounds you in sound, and most of the Apple Music library is streamable in lossless quality (on supported headphones)
    • The update was pushed live server-side and can be enabled by going to Settings > Music > Dolby Atmos or Audio Quality

    Our take: Haven’t been able to listen to any of the music yet, but this is live in June as promised. Launch felt a bit underwhelming after such a big announcement, however.

  • Apple holding Apple Music special event at 12pm PST tomorrow

    Apple holding Apple Music special event at 12pm PST tomorrow

    The leak: Following the WWDC keynote address, Apple is holding another special event at 12pm PST, according to a new video first spotted by @kuromikenny.

    • The video, which has now been deleted, said “Introducing Spatial Audio” and “Tune in at 12pm PT on June 7 to watch this special event.”
    • Apple previously announced that the new spatial and lossless audio features would become available sometime in June

    Our take: Considering that this was now taken down, it feels like it may have been a mistake? Why would Apple hold two event on the same time, at different times? Perhaps this year’s WWDC will be more packed than we’re expecting…

  • Future AirPods update may enable Lossless audio via AirPlay

    Future AirPods update may enable Lossless audio via AirPlay

    The rumor: Streaming audio to AirPods will get a major update in the future, according to Jon Prosser (77.8% accurate) on the Genius Bar podcast.

    • While Bluetooth is too technically limited to support lossless audio streaming, a different codec or firmware update could be released in the future to support the higher bandwidth needed to stream HiFi audio on AirPods
    • Apple confirmed yesterday that no AirPods currently support lossless audio in any way, but used the word “currently”

    Our take: Before announcing AirTag, Apple announced a broader Find My Network with support for 3rd party accessories: Prosser suggests that in light of recent anti-trust investigations, Apple is doing the same thing here. Announce support for lossless audio that works with 3rd-party devices weeks ahead of announcing a new proprietary Apple format for streaming HiFi music. To me, this makes a lot of sense as there’s no way Apple would intentionally misfire this intentionally.

  • Apple Music with free Spatial and Lossless Audio upgrades announced

    Apple Music with free Spatial and Lossless Audio upgrades announced

    The news: A new version of Apple Music featuring Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio has been announced and is coming next month.

    • Spatial Audio features support for Dolby Atmos, allowing sound to come from all directions…even from above you
      • This will be available on select songs at launch, with more added regularly
    • Lossless Audio includes significantly more audio data and will be available for the entire catalog of 75 million songs at launch
    • The new version of Apple Music is launching sometime in June and requires iOS 14.6

    Our take: Apple wasn’t joking when they said they would be changing music forever. Everything announced today doesn’t cost a cent more than the $9.99/month that everyone already pays. This is a huge blow to others like Spotify and Tidal that charge a premium for lossless music.

  • Apple says major Music announcement is ‘coming soon’

    Apple says major Music announcement is ‘coming soon’

    The news: Apple has announced a major change for Apple Music that is said to be happening soon.

    • As noted in the Music app, Apple says “Get ready—music is about to change forever.”
    • No release date for the announcement has been set, but rumors point to something happening imminently…perhaps as a soon as May 18

    Our take: If this isn’t for the HiFi tier of Apple Music, than I have no idea what this is. Apple rarely pre-announces anything…and to do so on a Sunday? That’s even stranger.

  • AirPods 3 & Apple Music HiFi to launch ‘in the coming weeks’

    AirPods 3 & Apple Music HiFi to launch ‘in the coming weeks’

    The rumors: Apple is preparing to release 2 new music products soon, according to HITS Daily Double (not yet tracked).

    • The new HiFi tier of Apple Music is said to cost only $9.99/month…the same price as the standard plan
    • AirPods 3 will also likely launch “in the coming weeks,” alongside the new Apple Music offering

    Our take: While I would normally say that a rumor from a source like this is complete BS…they were the site that called the release of the original iPod back in 2001. Considering that HDD doesn’t leak frequently, I believe this one. Can’t wait for HiFi streaming, and especially for the long-awaited AirPods 3.