Apple Music recovers the charm – Aftenposten

As millions of others, I sat ready on Tuesday evening to test out Apple Music, Apple’s brand new flow service.

Although, I for several years been Wimp user, because Wimp (now Tidal) has profiled itself in a clearer editorial, human profile. Spotify is much more based on algorithms that will control what I get proposal.

Therefore, the interest aroused when Apple at the launch stated that just the personal tutorial should dominate. It is of course to some extent nonsense, since not even Apple has the resources to make a playlist just for my Sunday morning. But first impressions of Music is still that Apple has managed to give the world music (the pool is quite similar to what you find everywhere else) a substantially more charming face than what Spotify can do.

The biggest news is personal

There are several reasons for this, here divided by function the name of the program:

“Connect”: This feature is artists’ new opportunity to reach directly out to their fans. Here artists can create a quick video or publish short reflections directly from their smartphone. The outcome will be quite interesting. 50 cents, for example, were out in the night and told “What’s up APPLE MUSIC. I’m on there now.” Before retiring a link to his newest song, which you had to PAY for. He wrote not a word that you can listen to the same song for free, if he had instead linked to flow service on Music. More tone-deaf, it is difficult to get.

But right after him in my stream appeared Selena Gomez up. 18-year-old course though how to communicate with the fans. Instead of a text, she unfurled a small, vulnerable video greeting, as an intro to a list of music she listens to now – for free.

Connect’s fate depends entirely on the artists. Currently, many of them not posted anything. But something tells me that this becomes popular, for many of them need to keep fans warm between releases. I am certainly not surprised about Spotify mimic this function.

Algorithms here too

“For You”: This feature also distinguishes Apple Music from the rest of flow services (except Pandora, which does not exist in Norway). When you start the app the first time need to be able to train Apple Music to learn your musical tastes. Checking what genres you like, and then the artists you like and what you really love. This was a fun little exercise in itself. So goes the algorithms to work’s and come up with suggestions for playlists that are far more based on my taste than what I’ve seen from both Spotify and Wimp. Actually manage the largely avoiding my “guilty pleasures” (yes, I have them, I also}. A pretty pile playlists I could well just appeared right away. And when I had slept in the night, had already appeared up new proposals with appealing titles like “Rise and shine two Indie rock” and “Kanye West: Songs about women.”

A disadvantage of “For you” is the picks out the music from your entire library, and not just looking for news that might fit me. In reality, I kind of constantly looking for new music. Here Apple Music a special feature called p>

Old school radio

“Radio” : It is also worth pointing out the “Radio”, a feature which is dominated by an old-fashioned radio station staffed by three living DJs in LA, NYC and London. They will apparently send 8 hours a day, day and year round – the entire globe. No Wind, and actually also occasional messages from sponsors. Annoying. But you have the opportunity to add what you like in My Music , and possibly stamp them as favorites and thus train Apple Music little more in your taste in music. However, if you do not have a taste for genres like grime and UK garage, might not you think the offer is equally appealing. Here there is no chart hits that dominate, but more tracks for those who can relish the music critics are inclined.

All of this makes me want more. But it’s also annoying omissions here. For example, it is terribly difficult to figure out whether my music is locally or in the cloud. Do you want to save on mobile data, is not Apple Music for you.

The shortcomings are also apparent

Another problem is that the phone seemingly can not go from one song to a playlist directly to the exploration of an artist. Instead you must enter the name of the new search box – and hope you spell right. The search function is not worthy of 2015, at least not if you’ve managed to become “spoiled” by Google ever higher tolerance for wrong entry.

On these fields is the main competitor Spotify far, far ahead. Spotify also got smart new features such as Running, where algorithms actually automatically adjusts a playlist after the pace your feet have. They also have more advanced DJ tools, which makes it easy to listen for the sounds that are underway on a headset while allowing the best tracks blade out of the plant.

Pure science fiction

But Apple also has its technological revelations. If you find it difficult to spell Pharell Williams correctly, for example, simply lift at your watch and say “Hey, Siri, play Freedom by Pharell Williams». A few seconds he thundered out over the speakers. Can not get no small sense of science fiction then, you hardly ever. The feature is not flawless, but works surprisingly well – in English.

Finally comes the big trump card: price

Yes, it is the same as for the other – apparently. 99 crowns a month. But Apple Music offers in reality six simultaneous streams at one subscription to 149 million. Can you collect six friends or family members who will share an account (with family sharing can all have their own profile and their respective libraries), have your opportunity to pay 25 dollars a month for almost all music in the world. And when even this is free for the first three months, is at least the threshold for start as low as it can be. Since Apple Music already exists on the PC, and soon on Android, will also those who do not like Apple hardware be relevant as customers.

A total becomes Apple Music an attractive package. It is currently far from perfect, but I would not be surprised if Apple reaches its goal of 100 million users within a few years.

Here you can read some selected international reviews: “Apple Music: The first reviews are in”

Published: 01.jul. 2015 1:14 p.m.