Independent Artists Guide To Apple Music

Copyright © 2021 by Big Meteor Publishing
This edition published 2021 by Big Meteor Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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An Introduction to Apple Music

Apple Music: Our Complete Guide
by Juli Clover, MacRumors
Setting up Your Apple Music Account

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR APPLE MUSIC
by Tim Hardwick, MacRumors
HOW TO SET UP APPLE MUSIC

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY

Managing Your Music in Apple Music

HOW TO UPLOAD YOUR MUSIC TO APPLE MUSIC
by Mari Gikaru, Music Gateway
HOW TO ADD MUSIC TO YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY

HOW TO SHARE SONGS AND ALBUMS WITH FRIENDS IN APPLE MUSIC

Creating and Sharing Playlists

HOW TO CREATE A PLAYLIST
by support.apple.com
HOW TO SHARE A PLAYLIST THROUGH APPLE MUSIC

HOW TO SAVE A PLAYLIST

HOW TO ADD PHOTOS TO PLAYLISTS IN APPLE MUSIC

Apple Music for Independent Artists
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR ARTIST PROFILE ON APPLE MUSIC
by musicdigi
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS: THE HOW-TO GUIDE & KEY BENEFITS EXPLAINED
by Carla Johnson, Music Gateway
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS RIVALS SPOTIFY’S ANALYTICS TOOLS

by Tim Ingham, Music Business Worldwide
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS: UNDERSTAND YOUR ANALYTICS

by artists.apple.com
SHAZAM IN APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS

APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS ON IOS

THE TRUTH BEHIND APPLE MUSIC AND PLAYLIST PITCHING: HOW IT REALLY
WORKS
by Bo Turner, Repost Network
WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) IN YOUR STREAMING MUSIC PROMOTION

by Chris Robley, DIY Musician Blog
Apple Music and Spotify

APPLE MUSIC VS SPOTIFY: THE MUSIC STREAMING TITANS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD
by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, Tech Radar
APPLE MUSIC VS. SPOTIFY COMPARED

HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS TO APPLE MUSIC

Miscellaneous
HERE’S HOW MUCH APPLE MUSIC PAYS YOU PER STREAM
by Pro Musician Hub
APPLE CLOSING ITUNES— 3 THINGS IT’S TELLING YOU

by Sean McCauley, Octiive
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN RADIO STATION IN APPLE MUSIC

An Introduction to Apple Music
Apple Music: Our Complete Guide
by Juli Clover, MacRumors
2021 All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission
Apple Music is Apple's streaming music service, comparable to other similar streaming services like Spotify,
Amazon Music Unlimited, Google Play Music, Tidal and others.
Apple Music boasts access to a total of 60 million songs. Content can be streamed or downloaded for offline play,
and there are also song and genre-based radio stations available along with the curated Beats 1 radio station.
Apple Music integrates with your existing iCloud Music Library, so you can combine Apple Music songs with
songs that you have previously purchased on iTunes all in one unified location.
Apple Music's Unique Features
All of the streaming services have differences, and with Apple Music, Apple has focused on human curation.
While there are some algorithmically created playlists, a lot of the content highlighted on Apple Music is done by
Apple Music editors.
Apple offers regularly updated personalized playlists in a "For You" tab, including a favorites mix, a chill mix, a
friends mix, and a new music mix, along with other playlist options that are updated on a daily basis.
Apple Music also often has exclusive album releases, documentaries, and music videos that aren't available on
other platforms as a way to lure subscribers.
Beats 1, Apple Music's 24/7 live radio station, is also one of the service's most unique features. It features songs
curated by DJs along with a multitude of special shows, sometimes created by artists.
Live Radio Stations
Apple in iOS 13 added support for more than 100,000 live radio stations from around the world to Apple Music.
You can ask Siri to play your favorite local radio station.
What's Included in a Subscription
 Unlimited access to Apple Music songs on demand

 Personalized algorithmic playlists
 Curated playlists
 Mood-based playlists
 User-created playlists
 Beats 1 Radio
 Access to other radio stations
 Offline song playback
 Existing music matched to iTunes catalog and added to iCloud Music Library
 Music and playlist syncing across all Apple Music-compatible devices
Apple Music Availability
Apple Music is available in over 100 countries and regions, with a full list of countries available on Apple's
website.
Device Compatibility
Apple Music works on all of Apple's devices, including iPhone (CarPlay included), iPad, Apple Watch (with no
iPhone on LTE models), Apple TV, Mac (in iTunes), and HomePod.
It's also available on non-Apple devices, so you don't need to be an Apple user to get it. It works on on PCs with
the PC version of iTunes, on Android devices with the Android Apple Music app, on Sonos devices, and on
Amazon-branded Echo devices.
Cost
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported music tier. A paid subscription is required for all
Apple Music content.
A standard Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States. With UNiDAYS verification,
college students can sign up for a discounted Apple Music subscription that costs $4.99 per month.
A family plan is available for $14.99 per month, and it allows up to six people to listen to Apple Music. A family
subscription requires Family Sharing to be set up, which requires all people in the family to use the same credit
card for iTunes billing purposes.
Pricing does vary by country but is similar to the U.S. pricing.
In the United States, Verizon subscribers with Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited data plans can access Apple
Music for free.
Free Trial
Apple offers free three-month free trials for Apple Music, and in some cases, has been known to offer additional
trial months to encourage listeners to sign up for a paid subscription.
Music Quality
Apple Music uses 256Kb/s AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files. For comparison, Spotify, Apple Music's largest
competitor, uses 320Kb/s Ogg Vorbis files, but while that sounds like it's better quality, the two are not identical.
Both AAC and Ogg Vorbis are different compression formats with different sound profiles, but both are similar
and the average person isn't going to be able to tell one from the other. CNET has a great comparison testing the
sound quality of Apple Music and Spotify.
DRM
You can download songs from Apple Music for offline playback, but the content that you download is protected by
DRM (digital rights management), much like other streaming music services.
If you cancel your Apple Music subscription, the Apple Music songs that you've downloaded were no longer work.
Apple Music songs also can't be transferred to other devices, downloaded, burned to CD, or used off device in any
way.
Note that with iCloud Music Library enabled, all of your Apple Music content will be available on all of your
Apple Music-compatible devices.
Juli Clover is Senior Editor at MacRumors. MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and
professionals interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Mac platforms. www.macrumors.com
“The #1 thing you can do to get a
playlist curator to listen to your
track is to write a compelling couple
of paragraphs about why your track
would be a good fit for their list.”
- Andrew McCluskey, Playlist Curator

Setting up Your Apple Music
Account
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR APPLE MUSIC
1. Launch the Music app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac or open iTunes on your PC.
2. You should see an offer to subscribe to Apple Music when you first open the Music app on your iOS device. If
you don't, tap For You at the bottom of the screen. In the Music app on Mac, click For You in the left sidebar, or
in iTunes on PC, click the For You tab at the top of the iTunes window.
3. Tap or click the three-month trial offer. Note that Apple typically offers one trial per person.
4. Select an Individual subscription.

5. Tap or click Use Existing Apple ID, then enter your Apple ID and password. If you don't have one, tap or click
Create New Apple ID and follow the steps to do so.
6. You may be asked to validate your billing information. Add a valid payment method if required and select Join.
Apple Music membership automatically renews, but you can cancel renewal at any time from your account.
Tim Hardwick is an Editor at MacRumors. MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and
HOW TO SET UP APPLE MUSIC

One of the best things about Apple Music is its ability to tailor the service to your interests and likes using
suggestions and curated playlists. Here's how it works.
The first time you launch the iOS Music app you should see a message asking if you want to subscribe to Apple
Music. If you've previously dismissed the prompt, tap the For You tab at the bottom of the screen to sign up for the
streaming service. iTunes users can find the same For You tab near the top of the iTunes window.
Selecting Favorite Artists and Genres
After you've followed the initial subscription process, the first thing you'll want to do is select the music genres
you're interested in.
You'll be presented with a series of bubbles on the screen representing different genres. Tap or click the ones you
like and double-tap the ones you love. You can also press and hold on a genre if you don't like it. Tap the reset
button to start again if you make a mistake.
Once you've finished, you'll be asked to perform the same selection for your favorite artists.
It's worth noting that the longer you spend choosing your favorites on these setup screens, the better Apple Music
will be at personalizing the service for you as soon as you start using it. You won't get access to the bubble screens
again, so if you want instant and accurate suggestions, it may be worth taking your time interacting with them.
But don't get too hung up on your selection –- Apple continues to tailor the service to your tastes as you continue to
use it.
HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY
Once you've familiarized yourself with the main sections of the Apple Music app, there are a few options that you
can customize which can enhance your enjoyment of the streaming service.
These are essentially tweaks to the Music app's Library section that can make navigating your music easier. Keep
reading to learn what they are.
Customize the Library View
In the Apple Music app, the top of Library view displays the default headings Playlists, Artists, Albums, Genres,
and Downloaded Music, in that order.
You can customize the headings that are displayed at the top of your library and use additional headings that aren't
immediately obvious.
Tap the Library tab, and then tap Edit in the upper right corner of the screen, and you'll see the list of headings
expand to include Songs, Music Videos, Compilations and Composers.
Tap the boxes next to the headings to include or exclude them. You can also re-arrange the order in which they
appear by dragging the bars on the far right.
Customize the Albums and Songs Views
The Albums and Songs views include several sorting options that you can choose from to make browsing your
music library more convenient.
Simply tap Sort in the upper right corner of the Album or Songs screen and select Artist, Title, or Recently
Added from the pop-up menu.
Note: You can keep tabs on a playlist transfer by checking the colored dots next it. Green means processing is
complete, blue means songs are pending processing, purple means currently processing, and orange means a song
failed to match.
Managing Your Music in Apple
Music
How To Upload Your Music To Apple Music
by Mari Gikaru, Music Gateway
With a growing subscriber base currently at 68 million users, Apple Music provides one of the largest audiences
for artists among music streaming platforms. It has a global reach, as it is currently available in 167 countries
worldwide. In this article, I will give you a brief overview of what Apple Music is, why you should get your music
on the platform, and how to upload your music to Apple Music.
What Is Apple Music?
Apple Music is one of the most popular music streaming services in the world. Its friendly music discovery
features and extensive music catalogue have made it a favourite among music streaming service subscribers.
Coming pre-installed on Apple devices may have also contributed to its popularity. Apple Music is an essential
streaming service to have your music on if you are an artist looking to grow your audience and get discovered by
fans across the world.
Why Should You Get Your Music On Apple Music?
Not only does Apple Music offer artists the potential to reach a global audience, it also has user features that help
listeners discover new music and artists based on their listening habits. Apple Music also gives artists access to
their music stats through the Apple Music for Artists platform. On top of this, artists get paid by Apple Music
whenever their songs get streamed on the service. I will discuss all this in detail below.
User Features
Apple Music has some interesting user features designed to help listeners discover new music and artists more
often. These can work to your advantage as an artist by helping more people discover you and your music.
Playlists have greatly improved user experience on Apple Music and other music streaming services. Listeners can
create playlists based on songs they like or add songs they discover to playlists they have created. Users can also
create their own radio stations, which work by creating a station based on a song or an artist of the listener’s
choosing.
Apple Music also has playlists automatically generated by its algorithms, which are customised to a user’s music
tastes and preferences. These are recommended in the ‘For You’ section, and is one of the more common ways
listeners discover new music and artists on the platform. Apple Music also has its own curated playlists (curated by
Apple Music staff) which often feature a wide variety of artists and songs.
Apple Music generates its own music charts based on the popularity of songs and artists on the platform. It features
international charts (which feature the most popular songs and artists worldwide) and localised charts (which
feature top songs and artists in a country or region). This is also another cool way for artists to get discovered on
the platform.
Apple Music For Artists
Apple Music is one of the few major streaming services that offers artists direct backend access to their stats. They
do this through the Apple Music for Artists platform. Once your music is on Apple Music, you can apply for access
to Apple Music for Artists, where you gain access to stats on how your music is performing on the platform. It also
provides helpful information such as the demographics of your music’s performance, including areas and regions
where your music is popular, ages of the listeners etc.
Since the integration of Shazam into the Apple family, your Shazam stats are also available on Apple Music for
Artists. This is great because you get to know where your music is being discovered, along with other helpful stats
to know how your music is performing on Shazam.
Payment To Artists
So, good news – you get paid for every stream your music generates once it is on Apple Music. This is deduced
from the user subscriber fees Apple collects, of which they give a portion to the artists, so the more streams your
music generates, the more you get paid. The average pay-per-stream for artists by Apple Music in 2020 is $0.0056.
The payment arrangements are dependent on how you get your music on Apple Music.
How To Get Your Music On Apple Music
There are two options for how to get your music on Apple Music. You can upload to Apple Music directly through
their system, or indirectly through Apple’s preferred third-party aggregators. For both options, the process of
delivering your music to Apple Music and the iTunes store is the same.
OPTION 1: DIRECTLY
Artists can upload their music directly to Apple Music and iTunes through the iTunes Connect platform. However,
there are some minimum requirements one must meet to be able to do so. You must have:
 US Tax ID
 Valid iTunes Store account, including an Apple ID, with a credit card on file
 A Mac running on OS X 10.10 or a later version
 At least 512 MB RAM
 UPCs and ISRCs for all albums and tracks you intend to distribute
 At least 20 albums in your catalogue (singles also count as albums – I will explain later)
 Internet connection with an upload rate of 1 MB/sec or faster is recommended
 A minimum of 20 GB hard drive space is recommended for larger catalogues
Once you meet the above requirements, you can apply via the iTunes Connect platform on Apple’s website. Note:
meeting these requirements does not guarantee that your application will be accepted, and that the application
process may take up to eight weeks to be approved due to the high number of applicants.
Once your application is approved, you will receive an email invitation to iTunes Connect. Follow the link and log
in to iTunes Connect. You will be required to set up “Agreements, Tax and Banking”. This involves signing the
contracts between you and Apple Music, providing individual (or company) tax information and banking details.
For your music to be available worldwide, you need to assign worldwide territory rights. The option to assign
specific territories is also available in this section. Note that tax forms are required to sell in the United States,
Canada, and Australian stores. You will need to fill out a W-9 form if you are in the United States or a W-
8BEN/W-8BEN-E if outside the United States.
Admin
You must also add “Users and Roles” to allow different levels of access to the people helping manage your music.
These are “Admin”, “Legal”, “Finance”, “Technical”, “Sales”, “Read-only” and “Encoder”. By signing up for the
account, you are automatically assigned Admin and Legal roles and can access everything in the account. This
allows you to access information about your music from payments and financial reports to contracts and assigning
roles to people.
After completing the above, download and install the iTunes Producer, which is the software you need to upload
your music to Apple Music and iTunes.
Uploading & Submitting Music
Before submitting your music on Apple Music, ensure your music and artwork is the right format and meets the
specifications. Check the iTunes Store Music Style Guide and Video and Audio Asset Guide to see the complete
guide on standards and specifications for music. These are the essential requirements.
 Audio with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz (16-bit or 24-bit res) and 96, 176.4 or 192 kHz (24-bit res)
 Use the stereo audio source. If this is not available, the audio source must have identical channels for left
and right
 Audio must be recorded with a Codec qualified and approved by Apple
 Cover Art must be 3000 x 3000 pixels with 1:1 aspect ratio, high quality JPEG or PNG files
Once you have gone through the guides and have everything ready, launch iTunes Producer and sign in with your
iTunes Connect credentials. Create an album even for singles, as they are uploaded on the platforms as an album in
themselves. You will have the option to either create an album from CD or from audio files. After creating your
album, you can add album details, artist names, genres, original release date, copyright information and other
relevant metadata as required. To add the cover art, drag the art onto the Cover Art box or click Choose and select
the cover art file.
Pricing, Rights, Lyrics & Processing
The next step is to set the album pricing (for iTunes) and rights. Here, you can set the price and the territories
where the album will be available. The default setting on iTunes Producer sets World rights and pricing for your
album. Here, you can also select the date when the album should be available including the pre-order availability
date.
The next section is where you add individual track details including track metadata, lyrics, pricing, and rights
details. After this, you have the option to add “localisations”, which provides album details in different language
localisations to suit countries where the album will be sold. The final step is to deliver your album as an iTunes
Store package to Apple Music/iTunes for processing. In this step, iTunes Producer will highlight any errors that
need to be fixed before delivery. If all the details are correct, click on “Deliver” to complete the process.
While choosing to upload directly, it is important to note that Apple does not pay partners until they meet the
payment thresholds for their country. You may receive payments faster by working with an Apple-approved
aggregator.
OPTION 2: THROUGH THIRD-PARTY AFFILIATES
So, what if you do not meet the Apple Music requirements to upload directly, or feel like the direct process is too
complicated? Well, you can use third-party affiliates. Apple Music has a list of approved partners that can get your
music on the platform, including distributors and labels. Distributors can upload your music to Apple Music and
collect the streaming revenue on your behalf. They may charge a fee or take a percentage of the earnings (this
varies with different distributors). If you are signed, labels can also put your music on there. You will then be paid
a percentage of the earnings, depending on your contract agreement with them.
Summary
Apple Music is a great place to reach more listeners, grow your artist brand, and earn from your music. Now that
you know how to put your music on Apple Music, why not go for it?
Mari Gikaru is a singer-songwriter based in Nairobi, Kenya who does conscious music (music with a message that
relates to everyday life experiences). His career spanning from 2009 has seen him grow to perform in some of
Kenya's most prestigious venues and get recognition both locally and internationally. His music has reached
audiences in over 50 countries worldwide cutting across continents from Africa to Europe, North America to South
America, Asia to Australia. Music Gateway helps to accelerate your music career and generate opportunities. To
receive daily job postings worldwide, start collaborations, co-write and find music jobs online, visit their website.
www.musicgateway.com
HOW TO ADD MUSIC TO YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY
If you're an Apple Music subscriber, you can add songs, albums, playlists and video content from the Apple Music
catalog to your personal music library. And if you turn on iCloud Music Library on all your devices, you'll see any
Apple Music content you add on one device across all of your devices, as long as they're signed in to your Apple
ID.
To add an individual song from Apple Music to your library, launch the Music app on your iOS device or open
iTunes on Mac or PC, navigate to the song, and then tap the plus (+) button next to it.
You can also find this button in the lower left corner when viewing the full screen playback controls for the song
you're currently listening to.
To add an entire album, playlist, or music video from Apple Music to your library, launch the Music app on your
iOS device or open iTunes on Mac or PC, navigate to the content in question, and then tap the +ADD button next
to it.
Note that if your device doesn't have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, you won't be able to listen to any of the Apple
Music content in your library. To make it available for offline listening, you'll want to enable Automatic
Downloads for Apple Music.
HOW TO SHARE SONGS AND ALBUMS WITH FRIENDS IN APPLE MUSIC
As an Apple Music user, you can share songs and albums with friends who also subscribe to the streaming service.
You can share Apple Music songs and albums over Messages, Mail, AirDrop, and more. This is also the method to use if you
want to create a link to share on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Keep reading to learn how it's done.
Sharing Songs and Albums on Your iOS Device
1. Launch the Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Find the song or album that you want to share.
3. Tap the ellipsis (three dots) button to bring up the action menu.
4. Tap Share Song.../Album... to bring up the Share Sheet and see your sharing options.
Sharing Songs and Albums on Your Computer
1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
2. Find the song or album that you want to share.
3. Click the ellipsis (three dots) button to bring up the contextual menu.
4. Hover your mouse pointer over Share Song/Album to see your sharing options.
That's all there is to it. On Mac or iPhone, after following these steps, just go on to tap or click the sharing option that you
prefer and follow the prompts that Apple provides to select a friend you want to share your music with.
Tim Hardwick is an Editor at MacRumors. MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals
interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and
technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Mac platforms. www.macrumors.com
“The guidelines for contacting a playlist curator are essentially
the same as when you pitch music journalists, talent buyers or
anyone else.
Put yourself in their shoes, and figure out why they should care
about this particular e-mail from an artist they don’t know,
especially when they have an inbox chock-full of similar e-mails.
It’s clear what the benefit is for you, but what’s the benefit for them?
Communicate your authenticity and that you’ve actually taken

the time to listen to their playlist. Keep your message fairly brief,
but be specific about what you’re asking, and make it as easy as
possible for them to say ‘yes.’”
- Lisa Occhino, SongwriterLink

Creating and Sharing Playlists
HOW TO CREATE A PLAYLIST
1. In the Apple Music app, find a song.
2. Press and hold on the song. Or if you're on a computer, hover your pointer over the song and click the more
button
3. From the menu that appears, choose Add to a Playlist.
4. Tap or click New Playlist.
5. Give your playlist a name. And if you want, add a cover image and description. If you're on an iPhone, iPad,
iPod touch, or Android device, tap Done.
6. Browse or search for another song, then press and hold on it. Or on a computer, hover your pointer over the song
and click the more button.
7. From the menu that appears, choose Add to a Playlist then choose the playlist that you created.
By default, songs that you add to playlists don't automatically add to your library. If you want to add each song to
your library, you can change your settings.
HOW TO SHARE A PLAYLIST THROUGH APPLE MUSIC
If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can make your playlists public and send them to friends.
Make a playlist public
To make your playlist public, turn on "Show on My Profile and in Search" when you create the playlist. When you
make a playlist public, anyone can use search to find it.
iPhone showing the Share option in the menu that appears after you tap the More button.
Send a playlist to a friend
If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can send playlists to friends through Messages, Mail, Twitter, Facebook,
using AirDrop, and more. The friend who receives your playlist must also have an Apple Music subscription.
To share a playlist, find the playlist that you want to share, then follow these steps:
 On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap the more button , then tap Share .
 On your Mac or PC, click the more button , then Share Playlist.
 On your Android device, tap the more button , then Share Playlist to see your sharing options.
After you choose how you want to share your playlist, a new window opens in the app that you chose. In some
apps, you can add a message before you send your playlist.
HOW TO SAVE A PLAYLIST
You can add any public playlist to your library, including playlists that you find in the For You section of Apple Music or
playlists your friends send to you. To save playlists to your library, find the playlist that you want to save, then tap or click
Add.
By default, the songs in the playlist stay separate from your main library. If you want to add each song in the playlist to your
library, you can change your settings.
If Apple or the owner of the playlist adds or removes any songs from a playlist that you save, the saved playlist in your
library will automatically refresh to reflect the updates.
HOW TO ADD PHOTOS TO PLAYLISTS IN APPLE MUSIC
Once you've created a playlist in Apple Music, adding a cover image of your own is easy. Here's how to do it.
Add a Photo to a Playlist on iPhone and iPad
1. Launch the Music app on your iOS device and navigate to the playlist you want to add a picture to.
2. Tap Edit in the upper right corner of the screen.

3. Tap the cover image.
4. Choose Take Photo or Choose Photo from the pop-up menu.
5. Take the photo with your device's camera or choose a photo from your photo albums.
6. Tap Done.
Add a Photo for a Playlist on Your Computer
1. Open iTunes on your computer and click the playlist in the sidebar that you want to add a photo to.
2. Click the main cover image in the playlist.
3. Click Camera in the pop-up pane to take a photo with your computer's camera or click Other to locate a photo
on your hard disk. You can also click Recents to find a recent photo you used or Defaults to select an Apple profile
picture.
4. Click Done.
Tim Hardwick is an Editor at MacRumors. MacRumors attracts a broad audience of both consumers and professionals
interested in the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on purchasing decisions and
technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Mac platforms. www.macrumors.com
Apple Music for Independent
Artists
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR ARTIST PROFILE ON APPLE MUSIC
by musicdigi
One of the features of Apple Music is Connect, a social bridge between artists and fans.
Through Apple Music Connect you'll be able to share audio, photos, videos and engage directly with your fans.
In order to claim your profile in Apple Music Connect:
1. Go to https://itunesconnect.apple.com/login
2. Enter in your Apple ID and Password.
3. Select the type of content you’d like to manage (choose “Artists”)
4. Click the ‘+’ link on the next screen.
5. Click ‘+’ again on the next screen and enter your iTunes Store artist page URL into the popup.
Enter the iTunes Store link rather than your artist name because there may be other artists out there with identical
or similar names (for instance: there’s probably a few singers named “Sam Smith”) and entering the exact iTunes
URL will prevent confusion and delays.
6. Select your role (solo artist, band member, manager, etc.) and fill out the subsequent fields.
If you do not have label or management contact information to provide you can just put in your own personal
contact information twice and move on to the next step.
7. Click done.
You’ll soon receive an email from Apple after approval of your profile claim.
MusicDigi is a leading digital music distributor for artists and labels into stores like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify,
Amazon, Google Play and many more. We work with the biggest music services on the planet, helping independent
musicians quickly and easily deliver their music into digital stores around the world. www.musicdigi.com
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS: THE HOW-TO GUIDE & KEY BENEFITS EXPLAINED
by Carla Johnson, Music Gateway
As a musician, Apple Music For Artists can help you manage your music career. It is packed with features, and
you can even use Shazam data to check plays, daily listeners and album purchases.
What Is Apple Music For Artists?
Apple Music For Artists is a dashboard which gives you useful data on your tracks in Apple Music. Apple Music
connects you with your fans and is a great tool to help with the management of your music career. It is basically
Apple Music’s version of Google Analytics.
To be clear, Apple Music is not the same as iTunes. Apple Music is a streaming service which provides listeners
with music on demand and is Apple’s version of Spotify or Tidal.
As a rival to Spotify For Artists’ and even YouTube For Artists, Apple Music officially launched its own artist
hub, Apple Music For Artists. You can access data including stats from more than 100 cities and countries.
You can analyse your listeners to see which songs are performing the best and locate exactly where your music is
played the most. It has additional features such as planning out tour routes and allowing you to customise set lists.
What Does Apple Music For Artists Offer?
Apple Music For Artists provides a lot more data to musicians compared to a regular Apple Music account. Artists
can easily access the dashboard to see song plays, radio spins and purchases.
Every time one of your subscribers starts a song from their playlist or library and listens for 30 seconds or more, it
is counted as a play. A radio spin is counted if someone listens to your track for 30 seconds plus on an Apple
Music radio station.
How Does Apple Music For Artists Work?
When your songs become available for listening on Apple Music, you gain access to Apple Music For Artists for
free. With Apple Music For Artists, your Apple Music account not only gives you a chance to hear your sound but
a platform where you can understand your fans.
With Apple Music, listeners leave a trail behind them and Apple Music For Artists will allow you to see what your
fans listening behaviours are. The app gives you relevant information that you need to help provide music to your
fans that they are going to enjoy.
Clearly monitor your week by week growth and set alerts to be notified when there are significant changes to your
data such as spikes in streams. Also, you can access the main statistics on your ‘Overview’ page, or access
comprehensive information on your releases in the ‘Trends’ and ‘Places’ pages.
Under ‘Trends’, you can examine how each of your songs are performing – as well as the types of fans listening.
See fan data with regards to age range, country and plays by playlist.
You can view your stats as either graphs or maps. This will give you an insight on where to tour, or who you
should target through social media ads when you decide to release a new track.
Getting Set Up On Apple Music For Artists
As you now know, Apple Music For Artists is more about checking your stats to see what your fans like, and how
they consume your music.
You firstly need to verify your identity or relationship to the artist.
Provide as much information as possible to speed up verification, such as links to social media and distributor
accounts (Twitter, Facebook, TuneCore etc.).
1. To claim your Apple Music For Artists page, sign into Apple Music using your Apple ID. If you don’t have
an Apple ID, you can easily create one.
2. Click ‘Request Artist Access’.
3. To make sure you claim the correct artist page, copy and paste your iTunes Store artist page link into the
search, or search for your artist page by artist name.
4. Select one of your albums to verify that you are claiming the correct page.
5. Choose your Role.
6. Fill out the requested application fields. For faster verification, sign in to your social media, distributor, or
Shazam For Artists accounts. The more information you are able to provide, the easier it will be to verify
your relationship to the artist you are claiming.
If you already have a manager, you can add them as an administrator to your profile so they can view your stats.
Artists and artist managers with Administrator access are responsible for reviewing additional access requests.
Managing Apple Music For Artists
Not sure how to manage your account?
You can always access statistics through distribution platforms such as CD Baby and TuneCore.
CD Baby
When you distribute your music through CD Baby, it will already appear on Apple Music. Join CD Baby to get
quicker verification for Apple Music For Artists. CD Baby work directly with Apple, so you will be the first to
access new tools – as well as having everything you need in order to understand your music’s influence across
Apple Music and iTunes.
Claim a profile to be able to express your visual brand and see real-time results for your music promotion. You will
also be able to upload and change your bio/profile pic.
You can access your Apple Music For Artists through your CD Baby Dashboard. Click on Tools and Promotion
and Request Access Now.
You just need the same Apple ID (email address) that you use to purchase music and download apps from your
iTunes Store. Be patient, as it may take a couple of days to gain access to your artist profile page.
TuneCore
TuneCore artists can gain access to new, detailed and helpful data sets and analytics which give an insight into the
following:
 See who is streaming your music

 View which location your fans are listening from
 Milestones your tracks are reaching
 Streaming, radio and download data
Upload a personalised artist photo and download the Apple Music For Artists app (available on iOS) to monitor
your music’s performance on the go.
Gain faster access by authenticating your artist profile when signing up by using your TuneCore account email
address and password.
Promotion And Branding
As a budding artist, it is really important to do some promotion. Once you have accessed your Apple Music For
Artists account, you will have a clear idea of who you want to target. Using this information, you can create a
playlist. Artists have been known to make a living off royalties when tracks land in a popular playlist.
If you don’t have the time to promote your music yourself then why not use Music Gateway? We can provide all of
the tools that you need in order to get your music heard. We have delivered thousands of weekly playlist streams
and are established as a trusted partner for digital platforms. With 30 years of combined industry experience, we
help ensure music is heard by working with each artist to carefully plan a campaign which delivers results.
Not only can we help with streaming promotion but also radio, TV and artist development.
Final Thoughts
Apple Music For Artists allows you to access more data, which can ultimately help guide you into which direction
you want to go creatively. It is a good idea when you sit down to create a new song to think about the people who
are most likely to listen to it.
As an artist, your aim is to satisfy your listeners, and using Apple Music For Artists is a great way to analyse and
stay connected to what your fans expect.
After all, what’s the point in creating an indie-rock album if the people who listen to you prefer Classical music? It
is important to consider this if you are wanting to sell more and have wider reach.
By using what you have learnt from Apple Music For Artists, you are able to give your fans what they want by
seeing which of your songs is played the most, you can steer your career slightly more in that direction.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your Apple Music For Artists account today!
Music Gateway helps to accelerate your music career and generate opportunities. To receive daily job postings
worldwide, start collaborations, co-write and find music jobs online, visit their website. www.musicgateway.com
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS RIVALS SPOTIFY’S ANALYTICS TOOLS

by Tim Ingham, Music Business Worldwide
Artists and their managers have long appreciated the royalties they receive from Apple Music – which, on a per-
play basis, are reportedly close to double what they get from Spotify.
Yet Spotify has always won far more praise when it comes to another valuable asset for musicians: data.
Spotify launched its Spotify For Artists app in 2017 (an evolution of the ‘Fan Insights’ tool it introduced two years
earlier) to provide artists and their teams with information pertaining to their popularity on the service.
Now, Apple is stepping up to the plate.
Apple Music For Artists (AMFA) is available for every artist on Apple Music. Like Spotify for Artists, the service
is available as both a desktop interface and a standalone mobile app (in AMFA’s case, currently only on iOS).
Apple confidently tells artists that its app is “the best available” in the market.
We’ve taken a look at the platform, both on desktop and via the iOS app. As you’d expect, it allows artists to
monitor the volume of their streaming plays on Apple Music and album/song sales on iTunes, all within a data set
that updates daily.
Artists can also drill down into how specific songs and/or albums are performing (and how their fans are growing)
in specific markets around the world – down to a city-level in over 100 countries. Apple believes this will help
artists to plan tours, tailor setlists for fans in each city, and uncover hitherto unknown pockets of popularity around
the world.
Artists can also monitor how many plays of a particular song in a given period have been generated by playlists, as
opposed to ‘organic’ plays from fans – and what position their track has been placed within these lists. And they
can also see how many of their streams are the result of algorithmic radio (i.e. ‘lean-back’) versus active plays.
This won’t shock you, but it’s a big differentiator: Apple is putting Shazam data front and center within its AMFA
app, allowing artists to examine where their music has been most Shazam’d in particular locations and in particular
time periods.
In addition, artists can see a basic count of the average number of daily listeners to their music, broken down by
country, city or song, while there is a dedicated section breaking out their video plays on Apple Music.
Plus, Apple has updated its data to cover music industry standard release weeks to enable artists to better monitor
week-to-week success.
And in a feature which reminded us of the much-vaunted artist app from AWAL, acts are automatically alerted
when there are meaningful changes to their data, for example: (i) The first week plays of a new release versus their
previous week-one plays; (ii) Milestones like ‘1 Million Plays’; (iii) Sudden spikes in streams anywhere around the
world; (iv) When they are added to a major Apple Music playlist.
Unlike some third-party distribution/services companies, Apple does not provide insights on how an act’s streams
translate into royalty payouts.
Tim Ingham is the founder and Publisher of Music Business Worldwide (MBW), which has serviced the global
industry with news, analysis and jobs since 2015. London-based Ingham is a well-known music industry analyst
and commentator, who has written about the business for the likes of The Guardian, The Independent, The
Observer, The Daily Mail and NME. www.musicbusinessworldwide.com
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS: UNDERSTAND YOUR ANALYTICS

Plays, Listeners, Shazams, and More
We measure your music's performance in these categories:
 Plays are recorded when a user initiates song playback in Apple Music for more than 30 seconds.
 Average Daily Listeners are the average number of daily unique listeners in the time frame selected.
 Purchases are recorded when a customer buys your song or album from the iTunes Store.
 Shazams are recorded anytime your song is recognized by the Shazam app or one of the partner apps that
use Shazam technology.
 Insights are a list of milestones and all-time bests for your songs and albums, highlighting important
changes in the data.
 Radio Spins are recorded when a subscriber listens to your song for more than 30 seconds while tuned in to
an Apple Music radio station. Apple Music radio stations are created when a user picks a song or an artist
to generate a custom radio station, or from an Apple Music curated radio station.
 Video Views are recorded when an Apple Music user watches your music video for more than 30 seconds.
Songs, Albums, Playlists, and Videos
Apple Music for Artists is intended to provide performance-level data about all music in which you are listed as a
primary artist. We display your music in four separate categories in Artist Analytics:
 Songs include the total plays of a song, including every album and compilation it was released on.
 Albums include any album, EP, or individually released single.
 Playlists include any Apple Music or Curator playlists.
 Videos include any music video uploaded to Apple Music.
Song Details
You can view all available data for any of your tracks on the Song Details page. Select any song from your profile
to navigate to the Song Details to view all the available data attributed to that track for the selected time period.
If the data is available for that track, metrics can include song insights, plays, purchases, and Shazam data, as well
as any playlists or Shazam charts the track may be included on, and your top countries and cities.
Download Your Data
Download a CSV of your data. In the Your Music section, click See All to download data from your full catalog.
Be sure to set the date range before downloading your CSV.
Data Availability
All data is shown in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and is refreshed daily. Note, new data releases or updates
take 48 hours to display in your analytics dashboard.
Your music may be released across different music distributors at different points of your career. We aggregate this
data into a single track grouping, which is why you will see one album/single cover art to represent the track group
as a whole.
Note: The data displayed in Apple Music for Artists is not meant to be used for any financial reporting purposes.
Contact your chosen content provider for financial or royalty questions.
SHAZAM IN APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS

Shazam is now a part of the Apple Music family!

People use Shazam to listen to songs for the purpose of identifying what song is playing. Shazams are recorded
anytime your song is recognized by the Shazam app or one of the partner apps that use Shazam technology.
Shazam data is currently available in Apple Music for Artists, throughout the web and app experience.
Shazam Data
If your song is shazamed, you'll find Shazam data incorporated throughout your Apple Music for Artists profile. In
the Overview section, quickly view key metrics such as Shazam Insights and Top Shazams.
Trends will allow you to dig deeper in to your data and see detailed demographics about the listeners who
shazamed your track, while Places will show your top shazamed countries and regions around the world. If you
want to view all of your data for all of your music in one place, go to the Your Music section of your profile.
Charting on Shazam
When you have a top Shazam track in a country or city, your track will appear in a Shazam chart. Charting on
Shazam will display your track’s position and movement on the chart in a given country, region, or city in the last
seven days.
Select a specific song to see every country and city chart the track appears on. To see the Top Charts for your Top
Songs, click See All in the Charting on Shazam section of Overview or Your Music.
Chart data updates every 24 hours. If your track has not been included in a Shazam chart, you will not see this
section displayed in your profile.
Trending on Shazam
If your music is trending on Shazam, we'll send you a weekly Trending on Shazam email to highlight your top
Shazam trends. Get a quick snapshot of which of your songs are On Fire, On the Rise, or Reacting. For more
detailed information about this email, review Communication Preferences.
When does a Shazam count toward my songs?
Whenever a Shazam has been recorded for one of your songs, you will see it counted as a Shazam in your Apple
Music for Artists profile.
Because Shazam listens to a portion of audio from a song in order to recognize it, there may be times when the
portion of audio being listened to happens to be identical to a portion of audio from a different version of the same
song. For example, an original version of a song and a remix version of that same song, often include some
portions of audio that are exactly the same. In these cases, the Shazam will count toward the version of your song
that is determined to be the best match, which is why you may see variations in the number of Shazams across
different versions of the same tracks.
We process the Shazam data shown in Apple Music for Artists and the Shazam app on different systems and
schedules. For this reason, you may see a difference in the Shazams shown on the Apple Music for Artists
dashboard when compared to the Shazam app.
APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS ON IOS
Apple Music for Artists is now available on the App Store. Get a snapshot of your music’s performance on the go.
System Requirements
The Apple Music for Artists iOS app can be used from an iPhone running iOS 12 or later. Apple Music for Artists
on iOS is currently only available for iPhone.
Insights
Identify milestones and all-time bests for your songs and albums, highlighting important moments.
Top Playlist Plays
Tap on a playlist your music has been featured in to see total plays for your songs in the playlist, plays by song,
and a song’s playlist position.
Top Songs
Song-level details are viewed by tapping on one of your most-played songs. You can view details such as Plays,
Average Daily Listeners, Shazams, Radio Spins, Song Purchases, Insights, Plays by country or city, and plays from
Playlists.
Top Shazams
Shazams are recorded anytime your song is recognized by the Shazam app or one of the partner apps that use
Shazam technology. Tap on one of your most-shazamed songs to see data about that song’s performance in Apple
Music and iTunes.
Charting on Shazam
Shazam chart data is now available in the Apple Music for Artists app. If your track is charting on Shazam in a
country or city in the past seven days, you can view this charting information in the app, on the go.
Popular Countries and Regions
Tap a popular country to see how your music is performing in that region. You can view the cities where your
music is most played, country- or region-specific Insights, Top Songs, and Top Cities.
By default, the Apple Music for Artists iOS app will show data from the last four weeks. You can update the date
range for your data by tapping the filter in the upper right-hand corner.
THE TRUTH BEHIND APPLE MUSIC AND PLAYLIST PITCHING: HOW IT REALLY
WORKS
Bo Turner, Repost Network
Playlist pitching has become a key aspect in generating streams for yourself as an artist. It’s always been an
effective method for promoting tracks, and gets the job done as far as gaining exposure across different platforms.
If you’re keeping up with the Repost Network blogs you’ve surely noticed how frequently we mention Spotify
playlist pitching. How come we haven’t mentioned their opposing platform giant: Apple Music?
Well, there’s a reason for our absence of advice regarding Apple Music. Apple’s platform is relatively private and
doesn’t offer much as far as promotional opportunities. Every public playlist that is viewable on their application
has been curated by either the experts on Apple’s editorial team, or professional groups/companies working with
Apple. They do not allow for public third party curators, unlike Spotify’s platform. This makes it almost
impossible to pitch your music to their playlist owners unless you have direct connections to the editorial team.
Even though playlist pitching might not be down your alley for Apple Music promotion, there are steps you can
take as an artist to increase your chances of landing a spot on one of their playlists.
1. Verify your profile with Apple Connect
Make sure that you have a verified profile on Apple Music for Artists. Once you’ve distributed tracks onto their
platform, you can claim your profile. Start by signing up here https://artists.apple.com
2. Build your following on Apple Music
Using social media or any other tool at your disposal, build your follower count as much as possible on Apple
Music. This will bring curators to your page where they can decide whether or not to include you in their playlists.
3. Work with a distributor that has relationships with Apple’s editorial team.
Using a distributor with connections to Apple’s team could greatly benefit your chances in landing their playlists.
Repost's mission is to allow creators to make a living through their audiences online. Distribute and monetize your
music now on Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Music and more! www.repostnetwork.com
WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) IN YOUR STREAMING MUSIC PROMOTION
by Chris Robley, DIY Musician Blog
How to promote your music on streaming platforms.
Many independent artists are making a full-time living off the revenue generated from streaming platforms like
Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora. Making your music available on those streaming platforms is just step #1
though; it guarantees nothing in terms of traction in the streaming age.
Continued success on streaming platforms comes from a combination of good music, smart strategy, and action.
7 BEST-PRACTICES FOR YOUR MUSIC ON SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, PANDORA AND MORE.
1. Claim your accounts and access the analytics
Many of the streaming platforms have artist interfaces that allow you to customize your profiles, use on-platform
marketing tools, and view analytics that may inform your efforts.
These interfaces include:
Spotify for Artists

Apple Music for Artists and Apple Connect
Pandora AMP and Next Big Sound
Daily trending reports (for Apple Music, iTunes, and Spotify) in your CD Baby dashboard
2. Beware of “guaranteed” streams and “guaranteed” playlist placements
As Spotify says:
Any service that guarantees streams or playlist placement in return for money is
lying to you about their legitimacy. We never associate with services like that and
anyone who tries to artificially increase stream counts will risk having their music
taken down. It’s important to know that you’re putting your career at risk anytime
you engage with one of these bad actors.
Services that guarantee streams often rely on click farms or other unscrupulous practices to generate activity. Since
streams are monetized, this is a form of fraud, and may result in a “takedown” where Spotify and other digital
streaming platforms remove your music from their service. Do not be lured by the promise of boosting vanity
metrics.
Similarly, services that guarantee playlist placements are often either involved in playola (paying for placement) or
artificially inflating their own network of playlists’ followers with “listeners” who actually never listen to the
playlist.
3. Don’t stream your own music on repeat
On the topic of fraud, it’s also unethical to stream your own music on repeat in an attempt to boost play counts or
drive streaming revenue.
Of course it’s fine to hear your own songs once in a while, but when you leave your newest album on a loop for
two days straight, the streaming platforms will take notice and (potentially) remove your music from their service.
Don’t do it!
4. Get your existing audience to follow you on streaming platforms
Your followers on streaming platforms are the most likely people to hear your new releases, engage with your back
catalog, and add your songs to their own playlists.
Getting a fan to follow you begins by simply ASKING!
On Pandora, this means asking your fans to create stations from your music.
With Spotify, you can tell your fans that followers are more likely to see your new album, track, or remix:
 In an algorithmic playlist such as Release Radar

 Featured inside their Spotify app
 In the new release email they receive, personalized for each user
5. Embed players and use smart links
Make it easy for your fans to listen to your music where THEY want to hear it.
Embed the corresponding music players on your website and use a smart link such as HearNow (a single
destination that routes fans to their preferred streaming platform) when you share your music online.
6. Go off-platform to promote
Much of your traction ON digital streaming platforms comes from the work you do OFF those platforms, driving
listeners to places like Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora.
Promote your music on streaming platforms via:
 social media
 YouTube (cards and end screens)
 email newsletter
 PR (blog coverage, interviews, etc.)
 your live concerts
 your website
7. Release new music more frequently
If you want to do well on streaming platforms, you should release music more often.
Many of the streaming platforms’ algorithms function in such a way that you benefit from releasing new material
as soon as the activity for your previous release plateaus (or even before). Each wave of listeners feeds into the
next wave, and you don’t want to lose traction by disappearing between releases.
You need to keep the momentum going, and that means “stockpiling” extra material to drop while you’re building
towards that next EP or LP, including:
 remixes
 new singles
 bonus tracks or alternate takes
 cover songs
 live recordings
 demos
 one-off collaborations
 behind-the-scenes audio commentary
Bryan Johnson, director of artists and management at Spotify UK, says:
“We are dealing in attention economics. Gone are the days when you can just spend
six or eight weeks prepping a single and then dropping it to see how it does. Now you
can just drop the track and then work it. Because the track’s available, people want it;
people want more and more tracks. The more individual tracks [you have], the more
chances you are getting to present your music to people.”
These seven best-practices are a good starting point for your streaming promotion, but they’re by no means the
ONLY things you can and should be doing.
Chris Robley is the Editor of CD Baby's DIY Musician Blog. I write Beatlesque indie-pop songs that've been
praised by No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, & others. My poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie
Schooner, The Poetry Review, & more. I live in Maine and like peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, a little too
much.
“If there’s one thing you need to know
about the streaming industry, it’s that
playlists are the new radio as it is now
the primary medium through which
people discover new music.”
- Tim Dagostino, Playlist Curator

Apple Music and Spotify
APPLE MUSIC VS SPOTIFY: THE MUSIC STREAMING TITANS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD
by Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, Tech Radar
The two biggest names in music streaming duke it out.
The music world has always been about rivalries. There's Taylor Swift vs. Kanye, Tupac vs. Biggie, Eminem vs...
everyone? Now, the rise of the music streaming service over the last decade means you can add a new rivalry to the
mix: Spotify vs Apple Music.
While there are any number of streaming services for you to choose from out there, the only two contenders you
should care about are the Swedish-born Spotify with its freemium music model and Apple Music, the replacement
to iTunes that has exclusive albums and a monstrous 50-million song library.
That said, Spotify has the advantage at the moment with a much larger user base. Spotify is currently the world’s
most popular streaming service, hitting 113 million subscribers in October last year, and continuing to grow; and
that’s in spite of mounting competition from the likes of Apple Music, as well as Jay-Z-owned Tidal.
That's because Spotify doesn't ask for any money upfront, and you can go for years without ever paying a dime.
Sure, Apple may offer a free trial but, at some point, you're going to need to pony up.
So which service should you invest your entertainment budget in? To help you choose the right one for you, we’ve
broken down the pros and cons of each service so you can sign up and start listening.
APPLE MUSIC
How big is its music library?
Apple music has a large song library, numbering around 50 million, across a broad range of genres. So if you’re
into French skiffle or Brazilian electro pop and you’re struggling to find your more obscure artists, there’s a great
chance Apple Music will have you covered.
Plus, this being an Apple product, its interface is easy to navigate both on a Mac/PC and in more portable forms
such as smartphone or tablet and you can download tracks to take them with you when you’re away from a Wi-Fi
connection. It’s a feature Apple Music shares with Spotify, but it’s a vital one if you want to keep users signing up
to the paid version.
How much does it cost?
Unlike Spotify, which offers both free /and/ paid versions, Apple Music only offers a free trial version before it
requires you to sign up.
It’s understandable from a business POV - especially with so many exclusives serving as a golden carrot for
potential users - but not having any form of long-term free-to-use version has ultimately worked against Apple’s
desire to increase its overall user base.
Free trials are limiting, especially to those looking to experience the service on a long term basis. Giving users
limited access to the full experience of its service might seem like a better deal in the short term, but it suffers in
the long-term compared to the free/ad-filled version Spotify offers.
Still, having three different payment plans does show Apple wants its users who are willing to cough up a more
dynamic approach. Having a cheaper plan aimed at students ($4.99 / £4.99 / AU$5.99) is a great deal (but not an
exclusive one as Spotify offers something similar), especially as this rate still gives you access to every facet of its
service. For everyone else its $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 for an individual, or $14.99 / £14.99 / AU$17.99 for a
family subscription for up to six people
What exclusive benefits does Apple Music offer?
Admittedly, Apple has gone to great means to cut Spotify and the smaller music streaming services out of the
picture by signing some of the biggest names in popular music to exclusivity deals on new albums.
Apple Music has boasted exclusive album releases from Drake, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Frank Ocean, Future
and more and it’s a strategy that’s really rankled Spotify over the years. Of course, if you’re not a fan of the artists
that initially release exclusively on Apple Music, then this feature might not be a game-changer, but if you do then
it’s a serious trump card.
Apple Music also offers Beats 1, the vanguard for a wider push towards original broadcasting on the service. It’s a
24/7 radio station that offers round the clock playlists and live DJs. It’s an internet radio station backed by Apple,
so it’s as slick as you might imagine with the likes of former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe and more on its roster. With
Apple already planning more stations for the service, this original broadcasting angle is a facet Spotify simply has
no answer for.
There’s also an exclusive social feature called Connect that’s packed is as part of the Apple Music package. It’s
essentially a way for artists to link up with fans in a more intimate fashion, offering access to new singles, videos
and messages.
Connect might seem something designed for the bigger bands, but it’s open to any artist, offering a service not too
dissimilar to what MySpace was back in its heyday. For followers, it’s simply a simple yet effective way to get a
little closer to the bands you love.
Finally, there’s the exclusive video content. With its integration with iTunes, the ability to browse and play tons of
music videos adds a dimension Spotify simply doesn’t offer. And Apple Music is doubling down on the visual side
with original programs such as Carpool Karaoke: The Series (a longer version of James Corden’s uber-popular
celeb singing skit on The Late, Late Show) and Planet of the Apps (a Dragon’s Den-esque show for app and
software developers).
What’s it like to use?
While both the desktop and portable versions are great to look at (aesthetics, after all, is Apple’s thing to a tee),
there’s a disparity in the user experience between the two: Apple Music's Mac, PC or laptop version is much
superior to the one you'll find on your phone or tablet. That's because the continued use of larger images and boxes
suits a larger screen, and it’s really easy to navigate through your playlists, exclusives and your imported iTunes
library.
That said, the setup does suit using larger tablets, as having more screen real estate makes the larger icons and
more content-heavy focus a far more agreeable experience.
The version optimized for smartphones isn’t broken by any means, but its large icon design often makes it a little
fiddly to use since it doesn’t use the smaller screen of a phone to its advantage. Also, launching to your library
simply doesn’t make any sense for a service that’s geared towards new music updates.
SPOTIFY
How big is its music library?
Spotify currently boasts over 50 million songs. Spotify’s strong influx of tracks helped it take off in its early days,
and with a reported 40,000 tracks added on average every single day, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Spotify’s strong influx of tracks has helped jettison it into the stratosphere, with a heavy focus on promoting new
tracks and breakthrough artists. Curated playlists are almost always the first thing you see when you load any
version of the app, with the service seemingly designing playlists for almost every musical subgenre. These are
constantly being updated too, so your favorite ones never grate following extended use.
Discover Weekly, the playlist based off your listening preferences, has come leaps and bounds in the last few years
with the nuances of its suggestions, although Apple’s For You playlist (introduced in 2016) now largely offers the
same feature so it’s no longer the special boon it was once.
How much does it cost?
So now we get to one of the main reasons why Spotify has always held Apple Music at bay - paid and unpaid
access. While it's trialed a few different versions over the years, Spotify has always come back to the basic formula
that’s worked best - everyone can sign up and access every track in its catalog for free.
There are ads every few songs, but you can tailor 15 playlists that feature the songs you want. You also get access
to top curated playlists like Discover Weekly. In the past you did not have full control over playback, and were
only able to skip a limited number of times per hour.
It’s a business model that might seem crazy on paper, but it’s the ideal way to increase your user base by making
the whole experience awkward just enough to get those users coughing up for Premium paid accounts.
Rather than locking content behind a paywall, Spotify wisely seals away features that simply make the service
more dynamic. Want to listen to music without any adverts? Want to download as many tracks as you want to your
smartphone to listen to them when away from home? Want the ability to skip songs as and when you want on your
tablet/smartphone? Then it’s time for Premium.
If you want everything that Spotify has to offer, including to choose any song you want with unlimited skipping
privileges and no ads, you can get a personal Spotify Premium plan for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99, while the
Spotify Family Plan, which offers simultaneous listening for up to five users, is priced at $14.99 / £14.99 /
AU$17.99.
Like Apple Music, Spotify also offers discounted plans for students, with total access to the Spotify library priced
at only $4.99 / £4.99 / $5.99. You will have to verify your enrollment status, however.
There's also a brand-new subscription tier for friends, partners, or family members who live at the same address.
Spotify Premium Duo allows two people to share one Spotify subscription plan, while still retaining their own
individual Premium accounts and logins, allowing you to save on the cost without sacrificing the freedom of
listening without ads and creating your own playlists.
Costing $12.99 / £12.99 / AU$15.99 per month, it's considerably cheaper than buying two separate Premium
subscriptions, which cost $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 per month each. If you share the cost with your listening
buddy, you're looking at less than $7 /£7 / AU$8 per month to get ad-free Spotify and on-demand listening to
tracks in any order you want.
What exclusive features does Spotify offer?
Here’s the thing, right now, you really don’t get much that really sells the exclusivity of using Spotify.
However, the streaming giant has a heavy focus on promoting new tracks and breakthrough artists, through curated
playlists like New Music Friday acting as a launch pad for fledgling artists to break through into the big time.
Curated playlists are almost always the first thing you see when you load any version of the app, with the service
seemingly designing playlists for almost every musical sub-genre. These are constantly being updated too, so your
favorite ones never grate following extended use.
Spotify also has a great podcasts offering, which is well working tapping into.
Low-data mode is another extra. It caches some audio for when you lose signal, and uses less of your data
allowance. 75 per cent less according to Spotify. Of course, if you have a Premium sub you can just download
songs over Wi-Fi anyway.
What’s it like to use?
Spotify has had its fair few updates over the years, but it’s hard to deny how well the current UI works. Unlike
Apple Music, it’s a service that’s clearly been redesigned and tweaked with smaller screens in mind thanks to the
raft of options available on screen at any one time. Whether you’re downloading an album or playlist to your phone
or starting a radio channel based on an artist, it’s a consistently intuitive experience.
The tile system is just small enough to make selecting new albums and playlists easy while packing in plenty of
content into a timeline of content that’s ultimately curated to what you’ve been listening to and what you might
want to jump into next. Spotify might just have as many playlists as it does albums, but it’s a strategy that works as
its algorithms ultimately tailor the app to each user.
Being able to work with multiple platforms is another huge asset. Being able to work on almost any type of
smartphone and tablet increases the scope for its audience and the UIs for all these platforms are uniformly strong.
Being able to play Spotify from your console - such as the version running on PS4 - is a massive tick for the
service, as is the ease with which you set it up. Overall, Spotify is currently winning the UI war.
Verdict
Overall, both services come with their pros and cons and each one will suit a user looking for different things from
a music streaming platform: Spotify offers a more well-rounded experience that’s effectively open to everyone, but
its mobile experience is limited unless you’re willing to go Premium.
Apple’s three-month free trial does give you a taste of its service, but its fiddly mobile design remains at odds with
its impressive library and exclusive content. As it stands, Spotify remains the stronger service overall, but unless it
starts upping its original content, Apple Music won’t always remain in second place – and that's not even taking
into account increased pressure from the likes of Tidal.
Either service you choose, you'll need the best headphones around to get the most out of your music streaming
subscription
We love tech! We're unashamedly geeky about it. So we'll tell you what we think in a fair, unbiased way. That's
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the weight of technology publisher Future plus objective test data from the TechRadar Labs. www.techradar.com
APPLE MUSIC VS. SPOTIFY COMPARED

Apple Music and Spotify are the biggest players in the music streaming space -- and for good reason. Spotify
essentially created the market as it exists today and has millions more users globally than any other service, but
Apple Music is catching up, thanks to its deep integration in Apple's popular iOS ecosystem.
Both Spotify and Apple Music offer as much music and related content as your ears could handle – including
exclusive new releases from top artists – and all of it can be streamed ad-free (with Spotify's paid tier) or
downloaded for offline play. So which is the best option for you? Keep reading as we pit the two services against
each other.
Subscriptions and Price Plans Similar
An individual Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States, with slight price variations in
other countries and territories. Likewise, an individual Spotify subscription or "Premium" plan costs $9.99 per
month, with some regional variations. In addition to its paid plan, Spotify also offers a free ad-supported service
that allows users to shuffle-play songs, although premium features remain off limits.
Both services offer student and family plans for $4.99 per month and $14.99 per month, respectively. Spotify's
student offering currently includes additional access to an ad-supported Hulu TV plan and unlimited access to the
SHOWTIME streaming service. Apple Music and Spotify family plans meanwhile are very similar. Up to six
people can access the services using a personal account for each family member, with the exception that Apple
Music members can also share iTunes purchases in addition to catalog content. Apple Music does, however,
require all family members to use the same credit card for App Store purchases.
Both Apple Music and Spotify memberships automatically renew each month, but you can cancel renewal at any
time and your subscription will run out at the end of your current billing cycle. A canceled Spotify premium
subscription reverts your account to the free, ad-supported service at the end of the current billing cycle.
Free Trials Compared
Apple Music offers a free three-month trial of its paid service, which converts to a paid membership unless the user
cancels before the trial period is over.
Spotify also offers a free trial of its Premium plan, but it only lasts for 30 days before billing begins, although you
do have the option to use the free plan for as long as you want if you need more time to make up your mind about
the service.
Libraries and Offline Listening
All paid Apple Music and Spotify plans give you access to a huge catalog of songs when you sign up. Apple Music
boasts 50 million songs in its catalog, while Spotify subscribers have the pick of "over 35 million" songs, so
regardless of which one has the most content, both allow you to build up a large collection of music.
However when it comes to offline listening, there are limits. Apple Music users can download a maximum of
100,000 songs to their library, and using Apple's iCloud Music Library feature these can be synced across devices
signed into the same Apple ID. Spotify Premium members can download up to 10,000 songs on each of up to 5
different devices, but this number doesn't include saved playlists.
Offline listening on the services covers songs, video content, concerts and artist exclusives. In addition, Spotify
subscribers have access to audiobooks and podcasts, and the company is known to be investing heavily in its
podcasts offering, so users can expect a lot more content in this department soon.
Streaming quality Differences
Apple Music streams 256kbps AAC files, while Spotify uses the Ogg Vorbis format and lets you choose the bitrate
depending on how you're listening. On mobile you can elect to stream in Low (24 kbit/s), Normal (96 kbit/s), High
(160 kbit/s) or Very High (320 kbit/s) quality.
Apart from audiophiles, most listeners probably won't notice much difference between the highest-quality Spotify
and Apple Music streams of the same song, but Spotify's ability to select the bitrate can come in handy if you're
worried about using up your cellular data.
Mobile, Desktop, and Web Apps
The Apple Music catalog is accessed within the Music app, which has a clean white interface and comes pre-
installed on every iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and is available as a separate downloadable app on Android
devices. Spotify's apps have a contrasting uniform black interface and are also available on both iOS and Android.
The Apple Music mobile app is organized into tabs to access your music library, browse the Apple Music catalog,
and listen to radio stations, while a "For You" tab lets you check out suggestions based on your listening
preferences. The Spotify mobile app has a similar tabbed format, giving you access to listening recommendations,
a catalog search function, and your library.
Both apps are easy to navigate and include full screen media players that showcase album art as you listen. These
screens also put add-to-playlist, sharing, song queuing, and audio device options at your fingertips, with Apple
Music having the advantage of 3D Touch support on compatible devices, allowing you to quickly access additional
menus.
Unlike Apple's Music app, one notable limitation of the Spotify app for iOS is that you can't merge local music
stored on your device with your Spotify library -- you have to use the Local files feature in the desktop app to sync
them across from your computer, and unfortunately it doesn't work as well as Apple's iCloud Music Library
feature.
On desktop, Apple Music subscribers can access the service through the iTunes app for Mac and PC. Apple Music
in iTunes is largely based on the same format as the mobile app, but it's not quite as pretty. It's also a little less
navigable, but it does have one trick up its sleeve: Smart Playlists. These can be automatically generated by iTunes
based on genre, date added, loved/disliked, and so on, meaning you don't have to manually build playlists yourself
if you don't want to.
Spotify also offers apps for Mac and PC. They recreate the mobile interface for desktop well, and are slimmer and
easier to navigate than iTunes, which feels bloated in comparison.
In addition, Spotify offers a handy web player for accessing the service from any web browser, which is convenient
if you want to access the service on a computer that doesn't have the Spotify app installed (your office PC, for
example). Apple Music still lacks an equivalent, but subscribers can use a free third-party web player called
Musish, although it's currently in development and still missing a few features.
Discovery Feature Differences
When you sign up for Apple Music, Apple asks you to select some of your favorite artists so that the service can
get a sense of your tastes. Using this information, Apple Music populates its regularly updated For You section
with new releases, daily mixes and playlists to appeal to your preferences. Playlists can take on a style (pop or jazz,
for example), a particular artist, or even a particular activity like studying.
Comparatively, Spotify's Home screen is where the service's personalization is centered. Discover Weekly is added
every Monday morning, and delivers a two-hour playlist of personalized music recommendations based on your
listening habits, as well as the habits of other users who listen to similar artists. Meanwhile, Daily Mixes playlists
feature tracks and artists in a certain genre that you've been listening to, plus a few additional recommendations,
while Release Radar is a playlist of new releases recommended just for you.
While Spotify's Home screen also features new releases and "Made for Everyone" playlists categorized into genres
and moods, Apple Music's non-personalized content lives in a separate Browse tab showcasing trending artists and
playlists, top charts, and music videos. Browse is also home to a TV and films section that features Apple-made
programming like "Carpool Karaoke" and artist documentaries.
Apple Music's Radio tab features curated music stations tuned to your listening habits as well as Apple's Beats 1
radio station. Beats 1 offers live radio 24 hours a day, and also plays a big part in the platform's music discovery.
The Radio tab also has an archive of its most popular radio shows and playlists from years past.
Spotify doesn't really have an equivalent, although when you create a station from a song, album, artist, or playlist,
Spotify Radio creates picks the music for you, and while Apple Music has the same feature, Spotify's suggestion
algorithm is generally much better. On the flip side, Apple Music's Search tab includes the option to search the
Apple Music catalog using a lyric phrase, which is really handy when you don't know or can't remember the name
of a song.
Music Sharing
Both services allow you to follow friends who are also subscribers and share playlists with them that you've
personally created. Spotify and Apple Music also let you share song links via text or over social media. In the
Spotify desktop app you can see what song your friends are currently listening to, provided they choose to share
this information. Similarly, Apple Music’s For You tab shows what your friends are listening to if you've
connected to them.
Listening in the Car
Apple's CarPlay system supports Spotify and, of course, Apple Music. If a car doesn't have CarPlay, most newer
models have their own entertainment systems, which often make it easy to connect your chosen streaming service.
Usually you can do so either direct from a built-in app, over Bluetooth, or via a cable connection.
Apple Music highlights
 Seamless integration with Apple's eco-system

 Beats live radio and archive
 Human curated recommendations
 Social features
 Support for uploading/matching your own music files
 Works natively with HomePod
Spotify highlights
 Extensive playlist selection

 Official web player
 Excellent personalization algorithms
 Free ad-supported tier
Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which One?
If you're just looking for a free music streaming service and you don't mind ads, Spotify is the obvious choice.
However if you're willing to pay, choosing between Apple Music and Spotify gets tricky. If you're already invested
in the Apple ecosystem (perhaps you own an Apple TV or a HomePod as well as an iPhone) then the decision
should be easier, given Apple Music's hardware integration and its ability to import your existing iTunes music
library. But if these aren't considerations, Spotify is certainly a strong alternative, thanks to its excellent music
discovery and personalization features.
HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS TO APPLE MUSIC
If you switch from Spotify to Apple Music, you can transfer your playlists from one streaming service to the other
using one of several third-party apps available on the App Store.
In this article, we're going to use one such app called SongShift to do exactly that, as it's easy to set up and you can
test it for free before paying the $3.99 in-app purchase that lets you batch process more than five playlists.
1. Launch the SongShift app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Get Started.
3. Tap the Spotify icon (you can Force touch icons to identify them).
4. Enter your Spotify username and password and then tap Log in.
5. Tap Agree at the bottom of the next screen to grant the app access to your Spotify library.
6. Next, tap the Apple Music icon and then tap Authorize to grant the app access to your Apple Music library and
set a token.
7. Tap OK to confirm.
8. Tap Continue.
9. Next, tap the Spotify icon and select a playlist to transfer, then tap Continue.
10. Tap Destination and then select the Apple Music icon.
11. Tap Create New Playlist.
12. In the Configuration screen, tap Destination and enter a custom name for the playlist as you'd like it to appear
in your Apple Music library, then tap OK.
13. Tap Process and wait while the transfer or "shift" completes.
The "shift" process may take some time and depends on how many songs are in your playlist, but you can start
queuing multiple transfers and even close app and they will continue in the background. You can also allow
SongShift to notify you when a transfer is complete.
Note: You can keep tabs on a playlist transfer by checking the colored dots next it. Green means processing is
complete, blue means songs are pending processing, purple means currently processing, and orange means a song
failed to match.
Miscellaneous
HERE’S HOW MUCH APPLE MUSIC PAYS YOU PER STREAM
by Pro Musician Hub
Apple Music streaming happens to be one of the best streaming music platforms that offer great convenience to
music lovers. Today, millions of music fans flock to Apple music streaming services to enjoy music from their
favorite artists, which is usually subscription-based or advertisement-supported.
Apart from just entertaining the fans, Apple music streaming has enabled artists to be discovered along with their
music. Also, many artists turn to it to monetize their fan base and have viewed it as a gateway to success. It is clear
today that if as an artist you are not streaming on some of the prominent and well-known platforms like Apple
Music, then the possibility of you remaining anonymous to the rest of the world is high.
However, as much as streaming services like Apple Music have been on the front line on entertaining fans, the
question is, stream from this platform generating enough pay for the artists or it is just a raw deal for them? In this
article, we are going to answer the question, “how much does Apple music pay per stream?” But before we look at
this, let’s first find out how it is ranking compared to other streaming platforms.
Apple Music Services vs. Other streaming platforms
To understand how Apple music services rank in terms of pay-per-stream, consider a comparison between different
music streaming platforms. Statistics show that Apple Music seems to be the preferred platform because it has been
providing the best value per stream.
According to Trichordist, Apple Music provides the best value to artists than the rest. Its streaming revenue seems
to surpass its competitors, and it is the reason why it has become a platform of choice for those artists who want to
stream their music.
However, like any other music streaming service, Apple Music does not pay a fixed pay-per-stream rate for music
royalties to artists. How much an artist can make per stream on fees on this music streaming platform as well as
other platforms depends on various factors such as:
 The country of the listeners and their location

 Whether the listener is using a free account or paid subscription
 The specific royalty rate of the artist
 The comparative currency and pricing of various regions
Generally, given the above factors, predicting how much an artist can earn in streaming royalties becomes difficult.
Note that if the prediction of fees becomes impossible, then an accurate calculation of how much an artist will
make from a given number of streams will also not be possible because all the above factors have to be put into
consideration. Let’s now look at the actual situation on the ground when it comes to how much Apple music pays
per stream.
How much does Apple music pay per stream?
The truth of the matter is that the royalty figure given from various sites is vague. It does not provide the exact
numbers from music streaming royalties because of the streaming payout’s unpredictable nature. So, it has been
impossible for artists to understand the worth of their overall streams.
Nevertheless, recent research from the artists themselves and third-party websites have been able to provide a
picture of how royalties are being paid out to musicians by the most significant music streaming platforms such as
Apple Music. Let us have a look at these statistics.
Apple Music pay per stream statistics
On 6 percent of consumption, Apple Music accounts for about 25 percent of the overall streaming income, making
it the best value per stream. That is far much better compared to other streaming platforms like Spotify, which
generated total revenue of about 44 percent of all streaming revenue on 22 percent of the consumption. If you
further compare Apple Music with a streaming music platform like YouTube, you will notice that it only accounts
for revenue of about 6 percent on 51 percent of the general consumption. Fifty-one percent is way above half of the
total streams.
By revenue category, Spotify takes the lead by 44.2 percent, and this is because of its broad grasp on the market
share. However, Apple Music follows closely at the second position at a 24.7 percent share of paid out income.
Although Spotify emerges the winner under this category, Apple Music scooping the second position is an
indication that it remains competitive.
Under the category of market share by a stream, Apple Music takes the lead with a payment of about 25 percent of
the general revenue from the streaming industry, accounting for only 6.36 percent of public streams.
When it comes to price per stream, Apple still tops the rest of the streaming platforms. For example, if you
compare it with Spotify, Apple’s price per stream stands at 0.000675, while Spotify is at 0.00348. Also, for every 1
million that play a song, receives payment of about $6,750 from Apple. This figure from Apple is much higher
compared to the $3,300 to $3,500 they receive from Spotify.
Though Apple Music streaming seems to be doing better than any other streaming platform, its pay per stream has
not been steady recently. Like any other online business, music streaming also faces some challenges that affect its
pay per-stream, and Apple Music streaming has not been left out. It has experienced some instability, but that does
not mean that its value in the streaming market has significantly diminished. Let’s see the reason behind Apple
music’s fluctuations in pay per stream in the recent past.
Why there has been a fluctuation in Apple music pay per stream
In 2018, there was a drastic fall in Apple Music pay per stream at a rate of 0.00495. According to Trichordist, the
decrease was due to Apple’s move to expand its brand into other new regions. During the expansion period, it had
introduced a 90-day free subscription offer. This offer is what made it lose some significant amount of money
because the free accounts created within the free 90-day subscription had not yet translated to full paid subscribers.
However, the low moments that Apple experienced during the 90 days free subscriptions were for an excellent
course. After its expansion and getting new paid subscribers, it has been able to stabilize its per-stream rate moving
from 0.00495 per-stream rates to 0.0675, which is closer to where it was at 0.00783 per play before the expansion
plan came in place. It is confident that this figure is bound to rise even higher soon.
Is it possible for Apple music to improve its pay per stream for artists?
The fact is that artists deserve to receive better pay for their content. Streaming platforms such as Apple music
services need to increase their rates considerably, to enable artists to make more money from their content.
However, this has not been the case because, from the look of things, this may be a challenging proposition given
that the streaming business seems not to be that profitable. From the statistics, it is clear that it will require a lot of
streams for an artist to be able to earn big bucks. Now, the question is, is there a way of Apple music changing this
narrative?
The answer is yes. If Apple music changes its model, artists can earn big exclusively from streaming. There are lots
of independent musicians who have been able to stream big and made a good living from streaming royalties alone.
So, what exactly can Apple music do to ensure this?
Way forward
There is no point of artists giving up 70% to record labels. With a good model, Apple music can own a piece of
intellectual property without paying third-party tags. This way, it will be easy for streaming services like Apple
Music to make available cash advances to musicians to help them make immediate income from their products.
Generally, music streaming services have the power of scaling up their pay per stream. They should look out for
the work of the musicians they leverage the most and work for hand in hand with these artists. By doing so, they
will be able to make a profit and at the same time, benefit the artist.
Conclusion
Note that as the streaming industry continues to grow, the more challenging situations artists continue to face. So,
making money through streaming has not been and is still not a walk in the park. There is a lot you need to work
on as an artist to ensure that you attract new fans and maintain the current ones to ensure steady streams. It is about
being strategic and creative.
Also, as you focus on a platform like Apple music that pays better when it comes to pay per stream, remember that
there are also those platforms that have lower royalty rates but with many users and broader reach. Such platforms
might be worth in terms of exposure and reach and can help artists a great deal when it comes to building their
profile. These streaming platforms can be a steppingstone towards artists, increasing their pay per stream in the
future.
Pro Musician Hub is the go-to place online if you're looking for the best tools, tips and courses to become a full-
time professional musician. www.promusicianhub.com
APPLE CLOSING ITUNES— 3 THINGS IT’S TELLING YOU
by Sean McCauley, Octiive
Apple closing iTunes. That’s a big deal for lots of reasons. Steve Jobs introduced iTunes in 2001 as a “digital
jukebox” so listeners could buy, download and play their songs anywhere they went. It was a way to help fans
purchase digital music instead of pirating it, and it worked that way for almost 20 years.
But times change, and indie musicians need to change with them. Here are three things Apple closing iTunes is
telling indie musicians everywhere.
1. Boosts Even More Streams.
The most obvious thing Apple closing iTunes tells us is that the future wants us to own less digital music. As we
pointed out in our post on how Streaming Is Changing Music Production, music fans have owned less and less of
the music they listen to with every passing year. That’s a good thing for artists because they keep more control
over their music, and it’s a good thing for fans because it’s far less expensive to stream. But it’s true: listeners own
their music less, now.
What does it mean to “own” digital music? We haven’t really owned it in any real way since the creation of the
CD. In the case of iTunes and other suppliers, though, it means to download it, have it on our device, and have it
available without an Internet connection.
When Apple closes iTunes (the actual day they’ll shut it down is TBD) you’ll still be able to download your music
for offline play, but you won’t be able to copy that music to a different device or email it to anyone, including
yourself.
Most importantly, you won’t be able to buy songs outright, download them, and have them for yourself pretty
much forever. You’ll only be able to buy the temporary right to listen to those songs. And when you stop
subscribing to Apple’s new streaming service, Apple Music, you won’t be able to listen to them, anymore.
What this means to indie music artists is that Apple users will get even more comfortable streaming their music
rather than buying CDs or digital copies. If you’re not on the streaming train yet, the time to get onboard just got
closer than ever.
2. Shows Listeners Have Options.
Of course, Apple closing iTunes doesn’t mean Apple’s not going to provide music, podcast and video services
anymore. Instead, Apple’s splitting iTunes into three different apps for three different kinds of media. Instead of
getting music, podcasts and videos through iTunes, Apple users will use Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple
TV+.
While it might seem easier for users to access all media with the same software, the truth is that users have been
using specific programs for all three for years. People use different software because every program is different.
Each does a specific job and some do a job better than others. The more focused a program is on a specific job, the
more likely it is to do a better job than a program trying to do everything at once.
What this means to artists is that they can and should talk to their audience in a variety of ways. If the only thing
you’re communicating to fans is music, you’re missing out.
Most musicians know that there’s money to be made in popular videos, but most don’t know that the most popular
video on YouTube is a music video (“Despacito,” Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee) with almost 6 billion views.
Music on YouTube is growing, too. You can tell because a previous most-watched video, “Gangnam Style” by
Psy, took five months to hit a billion views. “Despacito” took 91 days.
And what of podcasts? Indie artists should be talking to their audiences that way, too, if they can. How do we
know? Because major music names keep investing in them.
Pandora recently kicked off their Podcast Genome Project. Tidal also has their “On Air” podcast network. And
Spotify, the world’s biggest music streaming platform by number of subscribers, is proving the point by both
becoming “the next Netflix” and the second-biggest streamer of podcasts.
If Spotify thinks they should get into videos and podcasts for maximum exposure, shouldn’t today’s indie artists? If
Apple thinks it should have separate apps for music, video and podcasts, shouldn’t artists make art for all three,
too?
3. Proves That No Platform Is Forever.
Apple closing iTunes says plenty about how music has changed, but it might say one thing louder than anything
else.
No single platform stays on top forever.
Back in 2008, iTunes was the largest music store in the United States. By 2010, it had grown to be the largest
music store in the world. At one point, iTunes was also the biggest digital movie source for renting and buying,
with over half of the whole market.
By 2017, though, iTunes was already having a hard time against Amazon and Comcast. With Apple’s
announcement that they will close iTunes completely, it’s clear that the platform which once ruled the digital music
and video world just doesn’t cut it, anymore.
The lesson this teaches artists isn’t just that it makes sense to distribute to as many platforms as possible. Neither is
it just that musicians should explore every avenue to reach their largest audience. Rather, it’s that ambitious
musicians can’t reach their full potential without staying on top of new ideas in music. Even the mighty iTunes
can’t survive if it can’t keep up with new ideas.
If you’ve got something really popular the public is eating up and can’t get enough of, always watch the newest
ideas. If you don’t, you might learn the hard way that no platform is forever.
End of iTunes; Start of Something New
New ideas in music means much more than styles, fads and fashions in songwriting, itself. They mean everything
from the equipment used to make music, to the devices used to listen to music, to the software used to use devices
to play the music. In some ways, maybe nothing proved that more than iTunes.
Apple has all kinds of new ideas in the wake of iTunes, and for sure some of them will be very exciting for artists
and listeners alike. And anyhow, any modern artist should be thrilled to do half as well as iTunes did in its prime.
That kind of success would put them in the same category as Michael Jackson and The Beatles.
So let’s remember iTunes for everything it did for digital music in the 21st century. Let’s also learn from what its
closure teaches us about making music now.
Octiive is a provider of major label resources for independent artists, labels and musicians. We provide a platform
to work directly with artists around the world, encouraging the creative freedom to explore, showcase, and market
their talents as they see fit. The Octiive mission statement is to provide a one-stop source for indie artists and
labels to build their careers and reach new fans across the globe.
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN RADIO STATION IN APPLE MUSIC

Apple Music offers subscribers several radio station options including its flagship Beats 1 live station, but thanks to
Apple's intelligent algorithms you can also create automated, personalized stations on the fly based on the kind of
music you like.
The following steps show you how to create your own Apple Music station on your iOS device via the Music app,
or on your computer using iTunes.
Create a Station on Your iPhone or iPad
1. Launch the Music app.
2. Find a song you like, then press and hold on it in the list. If you're already playing the song and the song card is
displayed, click the ellipsis (three dots) button in the bottom right of the screen.
3. Select Create Station from the action menu that pops up.
4. A new station based on your song selection will begin playing.

Create a Station on Your Computer
1. Open iTunes.
2. Find a song or album you like, then click the ellipsis (three dots) button.
3. Click Create Station.
4. A new station based on your selection will begin playing.
These personalized radio stations will feature songs that are similar to the original song used to create them, with
songs from the same artist and other similar artists. Any song on Apple Music can be used to create a custom radio
station with automatically generated music of the same type, which is a great way to find new music that you like
with little effort.

Independent Artists Guide To Apple Music

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Independent Artists Guide To Apple Music

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Copyright © 2021 by Big Meteor Publishing

This edition published 2021 by Big Meteor Publishing

An Introduction to Apple Music

Setting up Your Apple Music Account

HOW TO SET UP APPLE MUSIC

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY

Managing Your Music in Apple Music

HOW TO ADD MUSIC TO YOUR APPLE MUSIC LIBRARY

HOW TO SHARE SONGS AND ALBUMS WITH FRIENDS IN APPLE MUSIC

Creating and Sharing Playlists

HOW TO SHARE A PLAYLIST THROUGH APPLE MUSIC

HOW TO SAVE A PLAYLIST

HOW TO ADD PHOTOS TO PLAYLISTS IN APPLE MUSIC

APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS RIVALS SPOTIFY’S ANALYTICS TOOLS

APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS: UNDERSTAND YOUR ANALYTICS

SHAZAM IN APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS

APPLE MUSIC FOR ARTISTS ON IOS

WHAT TO DO (AND NOT DO) IN YOUR STREAMING MUSIC PROMOTION

Apple Music and Spotify

APPLE MUSIC VS. SPOTIFY COMPARED

HOW TO TRANSFER YOUR SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS TO APPLE MUSIC

APPLE CLOSING ITUNES— 3 THINGS IT’S TELLING YOU

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN RADIO STATION IN APPLE MUSIC

Apple Music's Unique Features

What's Included in a Subscription

 Unlimited access to Apple Music songs on demand

Apple Music Availability

Pricing does vary by country but is similar to the U.S. pricing.

- Andrew McCluskey, Playlist Curator

4. Select an Individual subscription.

HOW TO SET UP APPLE MUSIC

Selecting Favorite Artists and Genres

Customize the Library View

What Is Apple Music?

Why Should You Get Your Music On Apple Music?

Apple Music For Artists

How To Get Your Music On Apple Music

Uploading & Submitting Music

OPTION 2: THROUGH THIRD-PARTY AFFILIATES

Sharing Songs and Albums on Your iOS Device

1. Launch the Music app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Find the song or album that you want to share.

1. Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.

2. Find the song or album that you want to share.

Communicate your authenticity and that you’ve actually taken

- Lisa Occhino, SongwriterLink

1. In the Apple Music app, find a song.

3. From the menu that appears, choose Add to a Playlist.

4. Tap or click New Playlist.

Make a playlist public

Send a playlist to a friend

Add a Photo to a Playlist on iPhone and iPad

2. Tap Edit in the upper right corner of the screen.

4. Choose Take Photo or Choose Photo from the pop-up menu.

2. Click the main cover image in the playlist.

In order to claim your profile in Apple Music Connect:

What Is Apple Music For Artists?

What Does Apple Music For Artists Offer?

How Does Apple Music For Artists Work?

Getting Set Up On Apple Music For Artists

You firstly need to verify your identity or relationship to the artist.

Managing Apple Music For Artists

Not sure how to manage your account?