Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., gestures before speaking during the Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California on June 8, 2015 (Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Apple unveiled its long-awaited streaming music service on Monday, entering a crowded market for online music that already includes Spotify, Amazon and Google, as the company seeks to re-exert its dominance in digital music.
The launch at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco was introduced by the rapper Drake. “This is something that simplifies everything for the modern musician like myself, and the modern consumer like you,” he said.
Hans-Holger Albrecht, Deezer‘s CEO had this to say about Apple’s Launch: “As we’ve grown, we’ve become experts in personalisation and curation by building our catalogue and expertise across the globe – in more than 180 countries. Ultimately, consumers will decide which streaming service meets their needs best – the biggest brand might not necessarily offer the best fit for them, and the jury is out on Apple Music.
We know the streaming business. Deezer’s strategy is to provide the best audio offering. We’re prioritising things like sound quality, having the best choice in the market and the biggest and most diverse music catalogue in the world. We know that success is built on global reach, providing local relevance and creating the best experience for users. Our ambition is simple: to give people the best music discovery and listening experience available.”
Apple Music, as it’s known, was built by the team behind the Beats Music service that Apple acquired as part of its $3bn purchase of music-tech firm Beats Electronics in 2014.
Apple Music will launch in 100 countries later in June, initially available on iOS, Mac and Windows, with an Android version following in autumn. After a three-month trial, it will cost $9.99 a month, or $14.99 for a family plan for up to six people.
The core of Apple Music will be a catalogue of millions of songs and music videos to stream on-demand, as well as a wide variety of programmed playlists created by its in-house team of editors, and by musicians. They will including a 24-hour radio station headed up by former BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe.
The third plank of Apple Music is something called Connect, a cross between Facebook and SoundCloud, where artists will be able to post music, videos and photos for fans that follow them. They will also be able to post from Connect to Facebook, Twitter and their own websites, as Apple bids to become the hub for their online activity.
Hans-Holger Albrecht, Deezer’s CEO