Apple Music is Here! Meh, Get Off My Lawn (and iPhone, and iPad..)

[Jerjo]

http://www.slate.com/articles/techno...ong_again.html

I downloaded the new iOS yesterday, not because I wanted the damn thing but because I wanted to shut off the automatic renewal.

Here's how to turn that off.

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-of...n-a-1714905341

The app itself is a confusing pile of Cupertino-tainted shit, especially if you just want your old iTunes app back. Here's a guide:

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-se...app-1714913134

I hate the new layout. I just want to get to the music I loaded onto the phone and tablet in the first place, they made that option more difficult. I live in a rural area and streaming is very unstable. And then there's the whole issue of artists being barely compensated.

[g.bremer]

I haven't downloaded the update yet, but from everything I've read the new music app interface is a mess. And like you mentioned, wireless service by me is pretty spotty no matter which carrier you use. I don't want to lose access to my music if I'm out of cellular range.

I think I'll hang onto my iPod classic for a little longer

[notallwhowander]

Streaming is bullshit.

[Sunhillow]

I gave up on downloading Apple Music yesterday in utter disgust. First, I had to wait for a day until they released Itunes 12.2, which was annoying in the first place. Then - quickly - I found out that to be able to have this 3-months free-subscription, you need to fill in your credit-card-details, the date of birth of your mom and when you are going to die. Privacy, anyone is Apple-land? What's worse, you need to fill in your credit card number, which I don't own. Why no PayPal? Why so much trouble anyway for a free thingy I probably not going to use much anyway, but only will try because I wanted to compare it with Spotify, which I - quite frankly - just love (and I've bought stuff thanks to pre-listening to it on Spotify).

I've also heard finding an artist and albums is quite difficult, and you get bombarded with playlists, suggestions and clever marketing plans.

I already hated Apple with a vengeance, but right now I'm considering throwing away any real apples in the house, plus I won't be playing my Fiona Apple or PineApple Thief-cds anytime soon!

[Sunlight Caller]

I think it is naive to expect anything less. I have no axe to grind with Apple, I use a lot of their technology, and as a result they hold my account details, it's needed to download anything (movies, apps, music), and to ensure artwork updates on your music files etc. The new iTunes just updated automatically on my devices, but I haven't looked into the streaming yet. I made my first foray into Spotify, just to hear the Yes Progeny shows, as couldn't decide if I needed the box set (I did), and so I am not a streaming type of guy, I'm far too wedded to the physical form after all of these years of collecting.

I have been reading with interest, Anil Prasad's posts on Facebook, and he is firmly of the view that this is the death knell of music as a paid for art form, and that all musicians are now conscripted into a life of drudgery and sub-living standard income i.e. it is now for the hobbyists and rich folk only... What are the views here? Does it change anything, or are we too ingrained in the old ways and our specialist niche to really have an informed opinion?

[Frumious B]

I like the new music app, but I'm not going to move my streaming from Google until Apple raises their personal library storage limit from 25,000 songs. Rumor is that you will be able to match or upload 100,000 when IOS 9 hits the streets. Google lets you store 50,000 right now. Anyway, best thing about the music app is that it's much easier to just play an album again. Previously if you pulled up an artist and played an album it would continue through the artist's entire catalog in reverse chronological order. Now it gets to the end of the album you picked and stops.

[Spiral]

Streaming is bullshit.

Sort of. Mostly. It works well as a tool to sample things on Bandcamp or catch up on a radio broadcast at a convenient time. I find it worth using the energy & computing power for those purposes now and then. Depending on streaming as the main or only means of listening, though, and the "business" models that have sprung up based around it? That's bullshit.

Anil Prasad ... is firmly of the view that this is the death knell of music as a paid for art form, and that all musicians are now conscripted into a life of drudgery and sub-living standard income ... Does it change anything?

It's not really a change, more an acceleration of the way things have been heading all our lives. And really it's more specifically a danger to the idea of recorded music as a paid-for art form. The live experience is always a factor - though of course that's not an answer or solution by any stretch. It's no help to the people who make inherently studio-based stuff, don't like or have no interest in playing live, can't afford to travel, or can't make touring feasible to build an audience because they're not well-known enough already to get off the ground. Also, how long will it be before Apple (and other comparable forces of evil) figure out ways to leech the money out of touring or live vidcasting as much as they have with recording? I'd be amazed if they're not working on it already.

Previously if you pulled up an artist and played an album it would continue through the artist's entire catalog in reverse chronological order. Now it gets to the end of the album you picked and stops.

So Apple finally caught up with the way I've been playing albums my entire life. How... innovative.

[Scott Bails]

Streaming is bullshit.

Streaming is awesome. The companies that put restrictions and money-making schemes onto their scheming platforms suck.

[Rune Blackwings]

Streaming is bullshit.

[ThomasKDye]

Streaming is awesome. The companies that put restrictions and money-making schemes onto their scheming platforms suck.

Even at home, half the time I stream anything I get periodic silence and spinning circles. No thanks.

[Scott Bails]

Even at home, half the time I stream anything I get periodic silence and spinning circles. No thanks.

Do you have WiFi at home?

[Spiral]

Streaming is awesome.

Eh. If you can afford the devices for it, and it's feasible to spend your listening time around them, and you don't mind using all that energy and computing power, and you don't mind either staying put at a desktop or having to recharge a plastic brick every day, and you have a clear steady signal everywhere you go (and can afford that too), and the stuff doesn't come out sounding like shit, and you don't mind the music's makers often being paid tiny fractions of a penny for your listening to their stuff (to say nothing of the sweatshop workers who make the devices or the environmental damage)... then maybe it is. I don't see how a slight bit of convenience is really worth all that.

[ronmac]

I love streaming. I have wifi and rarely get any buffering. Usually, it's only while listening to a stream on Itunes. (I tend to listen to other streams most of the time.) And my Mac is really getting old and sluggish.

[Steve F.]

Streaming is awesome. The companies that put restrictions and money-making schemes onto their scheming platforms suck.

said the man who expects the industry to spend time, effort and money to develop artists and educate the public about 'better music' than what they are currently giving the public.

(see thread in Rolling Stone's top 50 Prog albums)

[Scott Bails]

said the man who expects the industry to spend time, effort and money to develop artists and educate the public about 'better music' than what they are currently giving the public.

(see thread in Rolling Stone's top 50 Prog albums)

I think we're talking about two different things here.

I stream my music, that I purchased, that the artists get paid for. I don't use Spotify, etc.

[Steve F.]

I think we're talking about two different things here.

I stream my music, that I purchased, that the artists get paid for. I don't use Spotify, etc.

Yes, we are speaking of two very, very different things here, and my apologies for misunderstanding your post.

[ronmac]

I guess, considering we're making assumptions about each other, I feel compelled to point out that the streaming I listen to is mostly vintage. So, like Scott, I'm not referring to Spotify, etc.

[Jerjo]

So just to clarify Scott and Ron, are you talking about streaming your own music around the house?

The majority of my music listening is done at my home office with music from the PC going to the small stereo but I don't think of that as streaming.

[ronmac]

I'm referring to online streaming, not my own. However, the only streaming music I listen is old-timey stuff on independent sites and unreleased music on sugarmegs.org.

[Scott Bails]

So just to clarify Scott and Ron, are you talking about streaming your own music around the house?

The majority of my music listening is done at my home office with music from the PC going to the small stereo but I don't think of that as streaming.

Around my house, outside, at the gym, at work - wherever there's WiFi.

[WHORG]

Streaming has rapidly outpaced all physical media to date - and is totally embraced by younger generations as an easy, portable and cheap way to enjoy music.

Why shackle yourself to a "collection" of stuff when you, as a listener, are satisfied with the playback quality of streaming media. It will only get better as compression algorithms, network speeds and throughput gains are made . . .

[Scott Bails]

Well, IMO, that's the best part about physical media (CDs, anyway) - you get both!

[Spiral]

the streaming I listen to is mostly vintage. So, like Scott, I'm not referring to Spotify, etc.

I understand Bandcamp offers streaming access to the things you buy too. There are people doing decent things with the technology, but I suspect they're a small minority out there and it's a far cry from what Apple is doing.

[JKL2000]

Then there's the main problem that there are so many releases they just don't have, as with all streaming services.

[spellbound]

I had to get itunes in order to obtain an apple account which was somehow necessary for my daughter to have a ipod. I don't use itunes, but was forced to download the program anyway. Recently, apple blocked access to my account for "security reasons." I sent a brief, clearly-worded message to customer service. They replied with a wordy email letter demonstrating how little they understand or care about my problem, and telling me they can't help me, but maybe some other peon in their vast web of "customer service" might. They tried to blame me for the problem , implied that I must be anxious to spend money on their site , then suggested changing my password, as though I hadn't already tried that . Why do people put up with apple? If my daughter hadn't been given an ipod as a gift, I sure as hell wouldn't.