Verizon-ers, want some free Apple Music?

You can have some free Apple Music!

It was announced last week that new and existing customers with a Verizon Unlimited plan, can, as of today, sign up for free 6 month long Apple Music subscriptions.

If this is you, all you need to do is go to the Apple Music section on the Verizon website sign up. You’ll need to log in with a Verizon subscriber account after which you’ll receive a text message with a link that needs to be opened on your mobile device.

For iPhone and Android users that already have the app installed, it will open it up with subscription options. If the app isn’t already installed, the App Store or Google Play store will open with instructions to download the app.

This offer is available to all Unlimited subscribers, including Verizon Plan Unlimited, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, and Above Unlimited.

If you already subscribe to Apple Music but want it for free instead, you’ll need to cancel your exisitng Apple Music subscirption in order to activate the offer.

EXCEPT – This does not work for the family plan. You’ll need to cancel the family plan, and then each individual will need to activate the free offer separately.

And – you can cancel at any time.

Happy Free Music Thursday, Unlimited Verizon-ers!

Taylor Swift’s Apple exclusive!

Everyone’s favorite dreamgirl Taylor Swift has announced a new concert film called “The 1989 World Tour LIVE.” In a not so surprising move, the film will be released exclusively on Apple Music.

Fans won’t have to wait long – the film comes out on December 20, and features backstage and onstage footage from the Sydney leg of Tay Tay’s 1989 tour, including special guests like Alanis Morissette, Steven Tyler, and Wiz Khalifa.

You’ll be able to watch the film beginning next Sunday on Apple Music using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, or Apple TV.

Watch a sneak peak below!

Apple Music coming to Sonos

Apple Music is coming to Sonos!

Apple promised waaaay back in June that Apple Music would be available on the fancy wireless speakers before the end of the year, and now they’re making good, announcing this past week that the Music Streaming service will be available as a public Beta on December 15th, with general availability starting early next year.

Beta means that its basically a preview, where users can give feedback to make the service and it’s integration into the speakers better. You’ll be able to access everything but “Connect,” the social feature that links you with artists.

 
Sonos currently offers users a range of streaming services like Spotify and Tidal, and until Nov. 30th last year – Beats Music. Apple Music is a very welcome addition. You can find out more here. 

Apple Music Review – It’s good. Really, really good.

Hands up who’s been tied to their iPhone/iPad/iTunes today? If you haven’t, you may be asking why so many people are jumping around with their iPhones in their hand, big smiles on their faces. Well folks, this is Apple Music.

We knew it was going to be good, but we didn’t know it was going to be this good. In the words of various iPhone Antidote staff members or family members:

“I mean, no joke, this is the way to do music.”

“This will replace music as we know it. This is it. This is how we listen to music now.”

“I’m listening to songs I forgot I loved.”

“This is an E-40 music video that I‘ve never seen! ”

“This is the coolest thing I’ve actually ever seen”

“Quietly humming with a big smile on their face”

If music wasn’t known to be good for working, we might be a little bit worried. Seriously though guys, this ish? It’s good.

We’ve signed up to the free trial, so we’ve got full access, but even without it you get to access Artists materials on Connect, and can listen to the pretty epic (so far) Beats 1 Radio station.

If you haven’t tried it yet, we suggest you do. The catalog of music, even at first glance, is epic. The layout is super intuitive. The ability to create stations, make music available offline, and having access to playlists curated specifically with genres of music that you like is pretty special. Personal recommendations based on what you already like is, although not new, working fantastically.

To get your ears on it, you’ll need to update your iPhone or iPad to iOS 8.4. It took us about 4 minutes, and you don’t need much extra space. For your Mac, you’ll need to update to iTunes 12.2 which was made available today.

Both updates are free. The first 3 months of Apple Music is Free, but remember to turn off Automatic renewal at least 24 hours before your trial is up.

“It’s like the beginning of the end of illegally downloaded music. They solved it. Look at what they did.”

Apple music launch tomorrow! Here’s what you need to know.

Tomorrow, June 30th, Apple music will launch! And everyone in the world will be talking about it because 1. It’s newfangled and shiny, 2. It’s free for 3 months, and 3. It’s launching with an exclusive Hip Hop classic that everyone thinks is cool/pretends to be cool by knowing all about it.

Yup, The Chronic, the 1992 West Coast hip-hop album by Beats co-founder and now Apple God Dr. Dre. This is the first time the album has been on a streaming service (including Beats!), and will join the likes of much hyped 1989 from Tay Tay Swift. Another draw? Happy maker Pharrell will release his new single “Freedom” exclusively on the service.

A number of other Artists are said to be in talks with Apple about releasing exclusive content onto the platform. BUT WAIT THERE”S MORE!

Aside from the streaming service, Apple Music is also offering Apple Music Connect platform, a social network that lets artists share (more) photos, videos, and other content with fans.

And then there’s Beats 1 radio, which will feature special interviews and music curated by celebrities. Slim Shady himself, AKA Eminem, will be the first Beats 1 interviewee following tomorrow’s launch of Apple Music and Beats 1, and Dr. Dre will host his own radio show on the station.

Apple Music is expected to launch around 8AM PT Tuesday morning alongside iOS 8.4, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. It will be available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac and PC through iTunes.

The first three months is free of charge thankyouverymuchApple, but after that there will be a subscription fee of $9.99 per month for a single user or $14.99 per month for a family plan of up to six users.

If you’re not down for commitment, you can still listen to Beats 1 radio, see what artists are posting on Connect, and hear ad‑supported stations on Apple Music (with limited skips) without a membership.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch..eck it out.

The power of Tay Tay – Apple will pay musicians during free trial

So musical sh*t hit the Apple powered fan yesterday when Taylor Swift (Tay Tay to those close to her obvs) wrote a very public and promoted letter saying that her album ‘1989’ (You’ll know it from the radio ALL THE TIME) will not be made available to be streamed on Apple Music.

The new service launches on June 30 as part of an iOS 8.4 update and will be free for the first 3 months. Tay’s problem was that whilst the consumers would be getting a free product, the musicians (mainly the struggling ones) would be missing out because Apple was taking that product and giving it away for free without paying the musicians for it.

And that made Tay Tay madical.

In her own words:

“I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.”

…

 
“But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.”

The world was like “Oooh…” and then realllly not very long afterwards, Eddy Cue  (Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services) hopped on Twitter and tweeted thusly:

Apple will always make sure that artist are paid #iTunes #AppleMusic

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015

  and    

#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015  

 

and

We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple

— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015

Win! Good job Swifty.

After the service’s free three-month trial it will cost $9.99 per month for individuals and $14.99 a month for families up to 6.

Apple Music & Beats 1 Live Radio Station.

Apple Music is here! Well, not yet, but all the information about it is!

Come June 30 users will be able to use it to  stream songs, access curated playlists, and tune in to a 24-hour, live worldwide radio station called Beats 1.

Apple Music can be split up into 3 different facets that Apple hopes everyone will use and enjoy (D’uh), as well as making the music world a fairer and more creative place to be.

First, there’s the streaming service. Your own collection of music, as well as tens of millions of tracks in the Apple Music library. Handpicked by a ‘dedicated team of experts’ just for you, (not too sure yet on the logistics of this) and a bona fide way to discover new music.

Unlike some of their biggest competitors like Pandora and Spotify who use Algorithms to select songs in their product, Apple Music will have human curation, which, in Jimmy Iovine’s words,

“Algorithms alone can’t do that emotional task,” argued Iovine. “You need a human touch.”

Next, there’s the radio station – Beats 1.  24/7 radio broadcast to over 10 countries, and headlined by former BBC radio DJ Zane Lowe alongside other famous DJs from Los Angeles, New York and London such as Ebro Darden and Julie Adenuga. Beats 1 will offer exclusive interviews, guest hosts and other music world gossip and goings-on.

Third, we have Apple Music Connect, a social platform for Artists ( both known and as-yet-unknown) to interact with listeners and fans, with extra multimedia offerings such as lyrics, videos, photos etc.

So what do we think? Looks like a pretty solid service with a likely very big boost from grandfathered in Apple customers and the offer of a 3 month free trial. It will work, and it will be a strong and exciting competitor. It will add to the way that we listen to music. Even so, Pandora already has 80 million users, Spotify 60 million – so even with the boost, Apple might have a fight to the top.

Apple Music will be available for iPhone, iPad, Mac and PC on June 30, with support for Apple TV and Android coming in the fall. For full membership, you’re looking at a monthly fee of $9.99 or $14.99 for a family plan for up to 6 family members, although there will be a 3 month free trial available for all.

If you’re not down for commitment, you can still listen to Beats 1 radio, see what artists are posting on Connect, and hear ad‑supported stations on Apple Music (with limited skips) without a membership.

Check out the Ad for Apple Music here for the ‘feel good about the world with Apple’ feeling!