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

I am disappointed to see that the only way I can make something available offline is to enable iCloud Music Library.

 

The mastering and enjoyment is what matters, not the format.

 

Keep on pondering that. In the meantime I'm streaming some fine music off my computer while I post this, and it's not background music either.

It's freakin' awesome.

 

Ideals of the forum? Did we all sign something that we'd subscribe to group-think and not like and enjoy whatever we like? The guy likes streaming lossy music...good for him....I'm sure he gets every bit of enjoyment out of listening to that as you do listening to hi-rez.

 

I haven't used this on my desktop but run it in both an iPhone and iPad. Although identical in theory, I've found the iPad version easier to use.

One quirk, which may be my phone, concerns additions of curated playlists or albums to My Music, but not saved locally. On the iPad I can check the box and it will save the list or album but on the iPhone it won't. I've checked the settings and they seem identical.

Curious if anyone else has run across this and west the fix is.

 

I'm sticking with Spotify, but it's funny how streaming seems to be such a threat to the "audiophiles" here. Spotify with the premium subscription sounds great. Not quite like my vinyl, but as good as any CD.

 

I guess I can't be a real audiophile, because I've been listening all week and I'm sitting here looking at my wall full of LP's wondering why I still need all this clutter in my life. My AppleTv, bookshelf speakers supplemented with my little sub, powered my my tiny new D3020 sure sounds great and could take almost no space at all if I ditched the vinyl and turntable. Not likely to happen, but I can sure see myself parting ways with about 2/3 of the albums.

 

To answer my own question, rebooting my phone by holding the power and home button simultaneously solved the problem. YMMV

 

I miss how Beats allowed me to view an artists catalog in Albums, Compilations, Singles etc... Then I could sort those by year, alpha, etc...

 

does anyone know if they're tallying the plays of songs on beats 1?

i like the radio station fine, but my god it's repetitive. all the djs play certain songs - skepta's "shutdown" is 'hot right now'. i wonder if his sister being a dj is a big advantage?

i'd love to know what the playlist count is for songs players.

 

I love streaming services but you'd have to pry my vinyl collection from my cold, dead hands.

As for Apple Music, I've been enjoying it quite a bit. I think streaming services are incredibly useful, especially for discovering new music, and are a decent way to get artists paid (even if that element is currently problematic) without going broke in the process.

 

I'm not - I think some folk here don't realise how unusual we are. Most of the people I know do not understand why I have a stereo - just listen to your music off your iPad! I recently bought a headphone amp and had it delivered to my work. People came down just to see it, as they thought there was no longer any hi-fi equipment. Doesn't everybody just use their computer, iPad or phone to listen to music?

 

I'm not arguing any of those points at all however I would argue that most people in this forum get more enjoyment out of a well mastered album when they are sitting in their sweet spot of the hifi and concentrating on the music. Most (admittedly not all) of the advantages of a good mastering are not that perceivable if you aren't listening that way.

Many here are taking what I'm saying as a slam against streaming when I am not slamming it. I actually pay for Rhapsody and love having it to discover new music. Is m also not saying you can't enjoy the music through a streaming service because I do as well.. The thing that surprises me is the number of people here that will use it as their primary way of listening to music. Many of the other threads I visit on this forum will kill you if you even mention the idea of streaming lossy ove purchasing some lossless version.

 

And all I am saying is I am surprised to see that on this forum. I don't hold it against him and I don't have a problem with it except for the fact that the artists really get screwed if you don't actually purchase their music and just stream it.

 

By definition an audiophile is always looking for ways to get the best sound quality from the music they listen to no matter what the cost (within their budget of course).
If that doesn't describe you then no you aren't an audiophile. Just a great appreciator of music and there isn't anything wrong with that at all.

 

I love and agree with everything you just said except the last statement about the artists getting paid. If all we had was streaming (which I hope never happens like I think you hope not) the artists would not be able to survive on what they would make on it.

 

Artists are facing the realities of their business just like everybody else. I'm a pro photographer, many changes and new realities. It is what it is....every career is faced with same changes. The artists who evolve and produce thing that people want to pay for will do fine. Albums may not be the the thing anymore...maybe its touring...maybe its something else. Maybe there's really lots of bad music that in reality nobody wants to buy. There has always been starving artists. Its not the fault of the buying public, society, etc. Nobody here would say "that poor typewriter maker....he can't make ends meet anymore....that stupid computer gizmo has killed people trying to make a living".

I find it funny that people will say "the artists are getting screwed" and take a stand...however...the same thing is happening to them, their neighbors, etc. And the ones who evolve are doing just fine.

Just because you can paint, sing, photograph well...does not mean you automatically "deserve" to make a good living. There's other things involved as well.

 

Problem is the music business is starting to have the same problem society is. The popular 1% of artists are doing alright and the rest no matter how good or bad you think they are are struggling. The difference between a typewriter manufacturer and musicians is something better replaced the typewriter. The same can't be said for music IMO.

 

It won't be long until we see albums released solely on streaming sites with no physical or download option available.

The youth of today don't want collections of any kind. They laugh at physical product, and have no use for mp3 collections.

It is funny on this site to see audiophiles kick and scream as they slowly learn how outdated their ways have become. The ironic thing is, if youths of the 60s and 70s had a handheld device with access to virtually the entirety of recorded music, vinyl would have died decades ago, and CD would have never existed. People here are tied to the idea of physical product solely because it was the only option they had, and those times are decades past their freshness date.

 

I agree to a great extent. I know I am rethinking how much my collection adds to my enjoyment - and there's no doubt that it adds immensely - compared to the the space it takes up in my life. I look at my collection of albums, Cd's, DVD's, and BluRays and realize that in reality less than 10% of them actually get played, and of the remaining titles, how many actually sound better than what is available in digital format, be it streaming or via purchase. Of course this is not because of Apple Music, as it's been building in my mind as the services have gotten better and better. Then once I started using BlueSound more and more bringing CD quality (and better) from Deezer and Hi-Res. along with better sound than my AppleTV and Sonos. It's really got me thinking and wondering how much I've always been driven more by the gear and the media than what's on it. I think the streaming services are kinda giving me back my music.

 

You can do all that with streaming. I don't know why people assume that you have to sit in front of a laptop to listen to streamed music.

 

If there is a demand for physical product, it will be provided. Maybe just a niche market and you may have to pay more. The general public are not paying extra for 45rpm LP audiophile releases. In fact, its a very low demand. However, somebody is producing it at a premium. Just like LP's. If there was even a niche demand for 8-track tapes...somebody would produce.

 

HMMM has it ever been different? Watch all the documentaries on musicians. Open acts starved to death while the headliners lived "THE LIFE". The 1% is not killing anyone in any field. So does one think if Tom Brady and his high paid peers only made $1 million dollars, others would be seeing large pay increases? If all the ceo's in the world only made 10% above their regular employees...it would not even add a 5 cents to everyone elses pay (if broken down hourly). Get off the 1% thing. It's just a diversion.

If Taylor Swift made only $100,000, her album would probably be still number one and the indie garage band would not make a nickel more

 

It was different. The middle of the road artists used to be able to make money from album sales and touring. Now it just comes from touring.

 

Until they have hi res streaming with hi res liner notes that you can view while listening you can't do all that with streaming yet.