Apple’s much awaited music streaming service, Apple Music, will be launching tomorrow. The service is scheduled to go live on 30 June at 8am PST, which is a late 11pm local time on the same day. The online radio , Beats 1, will begin broadcasting an hour later. It has been a long road for Apple’s music streaming aspirations, although the recent disagreement with Taylor Swift has only brought more attention to the launch.
Apple Music will initially be bundled with iOS 8.4, which means that users will have to update their systems to access the service. There is no free listening tier for Apple Music, but there is a three month trial period. This was the same trial period that had caused Taylor Swift to write her open letter against Apple for deciding to not pay musicians royalties for any songs that were played during the trial. Cupertino has since backed down from the decision.
An hour after Apple Music goes live, Apple’s online radio will begin broadcasting. In addition to playing music, the station will have regular human DJs like a traditional radio station would. The company has revealed that it has several interviews with popular musicians lined up to make things worth listening to, and the first of which happens to be Eminem. Other artistes lined up include Pharrell, Justin Timberlake, Cara delevingne, Jaden Smith and Dr. Dre.
Apple Music will also be available on OS X computers through iTunes, with an Android app also supposedly in the works. The service will cost $9.99 (about RM38) per month, with a family option of $14.99 (about RM57) for six accounts.
