Hi. I’m Ryan. Now, contrary to popular belief, I am not a millionaire. So there are only so many recurring monthly payments that I’m willing to make on things that I don’t really need. And those payments….they add up. And they add up QUICKLY. Netflix, Hulu, Gym, Phone, Insurance, World of Warcraft monthly fees (just kidding I don’t play that shit anymore.) But whatever your vice, the sheer quantity of these monthly payments are taking over “disposable income” as we know it. Now, it’s probably not going to break the bank for me to spend $10 for streaming music services every month. But the fact is, there is a ton of competition out there when it comes to having almost every album ever created at my fingertips. My free three month trial of Apple Music ends on December 2nd. And maybe I’ve lost my mind….but I have made the reluctant decision to continue utilizing Apple’s new streaming service. That’s right. I am going to PAY for music. But now the question is…how the hell did we get here in the first place?
Let’s cut to the chase. I’m just gonna say it…Apple Music has fantastic playlists. The interface integrates into my day-to-day activity in a way that Spotify and Soundcloud have never quite mastered. I read an article saying that the curated playlist are elitist. Does that make me an elitist? Maybe so. Either way, elitist or not, you just can’t shy away from the fact that these playlists are surprisingly good. And they go DEEP. For once in the internet age, I actually look forward to exploring the track-lists that, believe it or not, have led to the discovery of plenty “new-to-me” artists that I simply wasn’t finding on other streaming services. There is a ton of variety: the old school and the new school; the mainstream and the obscure. New music is right there at my fingertips. Old music is a click away. And all of it is based on what I like…or at least what Apple *thinks* that I like. Look…I suck at making decisions. So you want to know the best part? I don’t have to scrutinize my search terms. If I’m honest, I don’t even really need to know what I want to listen to. Apple Music takes control and eliminates the guess work. It automatically placed all of my music from iTunes right into the interface which immediately catapults it ahead of the competition. I can easily navigate around everything I have stored in iTunes and the functionality was quick and simple to grasp.
So…the bad. I pretty much hate that I can’t automatically click on the artist name while I’m listing and continue to explore the discography. It’s a simple feature that I have to assume will be added in sooner, rather than later. First World Problems. There are also some issues when it comes to playing tracks in queue. That’s to say, if there’s nothing in queue, then I get stuck inside an endless loop of the same song playing over. And over. And over again. Sure, it’s something that would make Steve Jobs turn over in his grave. It’s a minor glitch that is sure to get worked out over time. But for now, it kinda pisses me off.
Why is any of this important in our apathetic society? I guess it’s not really THAT important. But I do find it interesting that Apple has made a platform that has swayed my jaded opinions about which streaming services I want to use. At the end of the day, I love music. Banjos to Beats is about capturing the music and curating new ways of enjoying it. Now that I have officially made the transition away from Spotify, and I’m pretty sure that I won’t be looking back. Spotify and Soundcloud are arguably reaching the end of their respective courses. So I think this is the natural last step in the whole “evolution of streaming” thing. Bring it all together with the sounds that you already own. And it’s all curated by the lovely people at Apple who really made widespread digital music downloads a “thing” in the first place.
So maybe it’s not groundbreaking. But you know you like music. And you know that you like to keep shit simple. Music is what we talk about here, so let me make it clear–BTB is in no way endorsed by Apple. I’m not telling you to go out and get this. In fact…who really cares? Fuck it. I like it. Apple Music is pretty good. And sometimes pretty good is good enough. The fact is…it’s probably better than what you’re using. But don’t take my word for it.
Here are the steps to getting your trial of Apple Music if you want to try it out for free. Just don’t forget to opt out after the three month trial is over.
On iOS
1. Tap the Settings icon
2. Select iTunes & App Store
3. Tap “Apple ID: [your email] at the top
4. Tap “View Apple ID” in the pop-up window
5. Enter password, if prompted
6. Under Subscriptions, tap Manage
7. Find “Apple Music Membership” and tap it
8. Toggle the auto-renewal option to off
In the Apple Music App
1. Tap “My Music” on the far right of the app’s bottom menu
2. Tap the face icon on the top left of the screen
3. Tap View Apple ID
4. Under Subscriptions, tap Manage
5. Find “Apple Music Membership” and tap it
6. Toggle the auto-renewal option to off
On iTunes
1. Make sure iTunes is updated to version 12.2
2. Click the face icon near the search bar
3. Click Account Info and sign in, if prompted
4. Navigate to Settings
5. Find Subscriptions and select Manage
6. Click edit next to Apple Music and “Off” next to Apple Music”
