Apple’s new music streaming service (Apple Music) *

I built a SubSonic server. It is pretty close to free-not sure what the details are anymore. I contributed a donation of something like $30 that got me lifetime premium or whatever it's called. It works pretty darn slick and was easy to set up if you aren't afraid of a doing some network configuration with your home setup.

There are android and iphone apps that work fine as well.

 

I have a few solutions for streaming my own collection. I think Plex is the cheapest. I also use a Synology NAS and their DS Audio app works, too (it also has unique Airplay features). I have recommended Audiotap on this forum in the past because it actually works with iTunes, but the new Apple Music update broke many of the features. For me, the Home Server solution was too slow, even using my Air 2. Therefore, I didn't use it very often.

 

About the difficulty getting proper mastering/release info, there's a lot of pushback in a related area from classical and jazz people about the wretched state of composer and performer credits in Apple Music. Via Alex Ross at The New Yorker I heard about and signed this protest petition directed at Tim Cook:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/show-the-album-credits.fb48

I'm still holding out on enabling iCloud Music Player in iTunes even though the scare stories about library vandalism and destruction seem exaggerated. And I'm glad that over several years of iTunes Match usage I always had a paranoid policy of dowloading every single matched non-lossless file in its non-DRM AAC format, always backed up and protected from any madness in Apple's Cloud cuckoo land.

Otherwise, Apple Music is spinning like a top for me and behaving well.

 

I am not surprised at how many people in the general public use streaming as their primary way to listen to music and that they have gotten rid of their music collections. Music is more of a background thing now it isn't typically enjoyed the same way it once was.

What I was saying in my post was how many people in this forum rely on it as a way to listen to music as more than a background music thing. The sound quality of Apple Music (or any of them for that matter) is perfectly fine for my needs which are for background and trying out new music to determine if I am going to buy it. Whether they have the best mastering or not I really don't care because I am just trying to see if I like the music first. If I want the album I will search out the best mastering and buy it.

 

If I decide to keep Apple Music it would solely be to listen to new music and decide if I wanted to buy it. One of the mistakes I made in the past was to buy too many releases from the iTunes store that I later re-purchased on CD because I wanted a physical copy.

 

It really has come down to just that, people would rather not pay for something they can (conceivably) acquire through other means...

 

All I am using it for is to preview stuff to search out on vinyl. My wife and daughter are using it to play their faves. It does not stream very good at all over cellular (Verizon).

 

I have had zero problems with streaming...

 

This is all I will ever use Spotify for. I only fire it up to sample things for free and then move on to the "real" purchase in my own way. Either original first press CD or hi-res download if available (and even a custom in house needledrop from vinyl if there is no CD or download available)

But when it comes to actual real world listening - that's via J.River Media Center - streaming the actual FLAC file from my media server.

VP

 

First, let me say that I found this site because I was researching the best sounding vinyl albums to buy from one of my favorite artists.

However, I don't pay for streaming to be just background noise or just to find out about an album. It is my main source for music because it has unlimited variety and depth. Also, I feel that the first time I hear certain albums, it can be magical. If I discount that feeling, I would be missing out. As an example, the first time I heard Nirvana, I was driving with my top off on my jeep. The stereo sucked, the environment sucked, but I was mesmerized. I don't want to give that experience away.

I still buy music for my own library, just less of it.

 

I guess your idea of background music and my idea of background music are totally different. I would hope that listening to music in your car would be classified as background music since you need to be concentrating on the road more than you would be concentrating on the music. It's not that you can't enjoy it and appreciate it that way and have a great experience with it in that way but it is still considered background music in the scenario you brought up.

I think we are doing the same thing here but your definition of background music and mine are different.

 

I'm using it to listen to music before I buy. You know, to see if I like it.

 

No, you probably concentrate more on the act of driving than I did back in those days. Concentrating on music and the wind tunnel in my vehicle were the only things keeping me awake. I was working until about 4AM back in those days and had the roads to myself.

In any event, I was using that as an example because it was about the worst sound quality you can imagine, but it was still captivating. In other words, the 256-320kbps that many of these services have and the lack of information about the mastering is definitely not ideal, but I can still completely enjoy the music even under the scrutiny of headphones. I realized right out of the gate that I won't be purchasing every album I listen to.. even those that I like. If something completely blows me away, I may look for a better master, but it isn't the goal. The goal is to enjoy the music, which is the main reason I subscribe.

However, if you use it mainly to research albums, that is a perfectly fine way of using the service. I was just explaining how I use the services since you seemed to be interested in it.

 

My opinion is that unless all you are concentrating on is the music it is background music. It doesn't mean you can't enjoy the music immensely it just means you are hearing the music not listening to it and giving it your full concentration.

 

I've been using Plex to stream movies from my Mac upstairs to the TV in our den downstairs, but how would I use it for music? I'm intrigued...

 

This may help (see the library section):
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200288896-Basic-Setup-Wizard

The music will show up next to the movies.

 

I don't claim to be Webster's dictionary, but I have always thought about as being something your barely paying attention to while you do another activity. It is the stuff I put on at dinner parties and while cleaning the house.

However, I think I answered your question. I listen to it beyond background (regardless of the definition).

 

The Wall Street Journal's reviewer couldn't figure out how to work it. Best line: "The page also recommended whole albums by Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles and Third Eye Blind, a near-perfect snapshot of my wide range of tastes." http://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-m...-interface-is-musics-next-big-leap-1436300486

 

Got the free trial of Apple Music and have been experimenting on both desktop and mobile. Quick observations vs Spotify Premium:

Mobile: super clunky interface, not intuitive at all. Seems like I can get to the same content from multiple places, which sounds like a good thing but is actually super confusing. If I didn't already dislike the Spotify app for iOS, I'd be very much disinclined from continuing Apple Music for mobile -- as it stands now, Apple Music is slightly worse than Spotify mobile.

Desktop: smooth and intuitive. I like how the streaming features integrate (but don't replace) my 25k song iTunes library. I can't really see any reason why I would pay for Spotify on desktop, since I'm an iTunes user to begin with -- Apple Music just means fewer open programs.

So after a week or so, I'm leaning toward canceling Spotify and going all in with Apple Music. I don't use any curated playlists or faux "radio shows" with DJs, so the mixed reactions on those Apple Music features don't really impact my experience.

 

I've always found the Music app on iPhone to be confusing, even though it doesn't actually do very much. So, I'm sure the added features of the Apple Music App will make things, umm, worse unfortunately.

That said, after a few hiccups, I got Apple Music on my MacBook Pro, and I'm really digging it. Now for three months, I have access to a bunch of music I really like but don't own. As you can probably tell, outside of NPR and SoundCloud, I haven't used a streaming service really at all, much less a pay service. I did have Pandora on my iPhone a couple years ago, but the repetition in song selection (of the free service, anyway) was killing me. I enjoyed Rdio during the two week free trial period, but didn't want to pay for it thereafter.

I have no idea if I'll continue Apple Music after the free trial, we shall see. I already have a massive lossless iTunes library, so I don't know that I need this, although it's very nice to have so far.

 

Do you have Match? If so did you have any metadata/artwork issues with your library? It screwed up everything on the mobile version I use and I'm reluctant to upgrade on the desktop where my library is stored. (I know there's a workaround but want full functionality)

 

I disabled Match immediately when it was introduced years ago, and I have no desire to revisit it. My use of Apple Music will be (1) streaming albums I don't already own, and (2) continuing to use iTunes Radio (or whatever it is called now) in the gym and the car. Otherwise, I keep different versions of my library on devices (hard drives) for use at the office and such.

I've heard others with experiences like yours, and I'm sorry I can't provide any input.

 

This is the correct answer. I use streaming services...a lot. I stream albums I already own and it's great to have that at my fingertips if I don't have it on my portable device. But I would not trust Apple or MS or Google with the only copy of my music. As long as HDD's and SSD's exist I plan to keep offline archives.

 

Way too black and white, imo. There's background music, the stuff playing on the radio that you barely hear for example, and if someone asked you an hour later what was playing you probably couldn't even recall it. There's the music playing while you're doing other tasks...like accessing this forum where one actually can get enjoyment from it and recall what was played. And then there's the full listening session where you concentrate 100%. Plus scenarios inbetween these of course.

My listening generally falls in the middle category. I guess you would call it background music. I call that that nonsense.

 

If it's not your primary focus I consider it background. If it is your primary focus I don't understand how you could listen to lossy streaming especially if your on this forum, it seems to go against the ideals of this forum.