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Apple Music - page 12

Everything you need to know before Apple’s last earnings call of 2019

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Earnings call
Get ready for another record breaking quarter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is ready to unveil its last earnings report of 2019 this week, and investors are anxiously waiting to hear some good news on iPhone sales.

All early indications point to sales of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro performing even better than expected. But because the new devices were only on sale for the very tail end of the quarter, they might not have given Apple the growth Wall Street is desperate to see.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are set to divulge all the details for Apple’s fiscal Q4 2019 earnings on Wednesday, October 30, at 2 p.m. PDT. Per usual, Cult of Mac will be analyzing all the data right when it drops and there are a couple of areas and metrics that are key to keeping Apple’s stock price soaring.

Students will get Apple TV+ as part of their $4.99 Apple Music subscription

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
That's another reason for students to sign up to Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s launched its first bundle deal for Apple TV+ — but you’ll have to be a student to take advantage of it.

On Dickinson star Hailee Steinfeld’s Instagram page, the singer/actress noted that Apple Music subscribers on Apple’s $4.99 Student plan will receive Apple TV+ in addition to Apple’s streaming music service.

Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
Spotify reported some great fiscal quarterly earnings.
Photo: Spotify

Spotify’s third fiscal quarter figures show that it is growing considerably faster than Apple Music.

“We continue to feel very good about our competitive position in the market,” the streaming giant noted in a statement. “Relative to Apple, the publicly available data shows that we are adding roughly twice as many subscribers per month as they are. Additionally, we believe that our monthly engagement is roughly 2x as high and our churn is at half the rate.”

Apple’s AR Glasses are almost here! Catch the discussion, on The CultCast

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CultCast 409
A reliable analyst says Apple's AR glasses are right around the corner.
Photo: Apple

This week on The CultCast: Apple’s AR glasses are about to be announced! At least according to one very reliable analyst…. we discuss. Plus: Mac OS Catalina is out, but you probably shouldn’t install it—we’ll tell you why. And Final Cut Pro just got massively faster thanks to a new update, and a long awaited iOS 13 feature finally goes live.

Our thanks to Linked In for supporting this episode. A business is only as strong as its people, and every hire matters… head to LinkedIn.com/cultcast and get a $50 credit toward your first job post.

Apple employs a team of people to transcribe lyrics for Apple Music

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Streaming services like Apple Music dominate the US music market
This is one anecdote from a new Wired article about Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

Apple employs a team of people “listening to music and transcribing the lyrics,” says Oliver Schusser, head of Apple Music.

“We don’t get [lyrics] from the usual sites,” Schusser says, explaining that Apple doesn’t trust crowdsourcing to give it the right answers for its new synced lyrics feature.

Apple Prime? Giant bundle of entertainment services under consideration

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Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+
Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+ could all be part of “Apple Prime.”
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly mulling offering all its entertainment services in one giant bundle as a sort of “Apple Prime.” If true, then a single subscription would include the company’s music, video, and gaming services

This news is apparently leaking from music-industry executive who aren’t thrilled with the idea.

Apple Music introduces new ‘Lyrics to Live By’ video series

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Apple just launched its Lyrics to Live By video series
Apple is shining a spotlight on lyrics.
Photo: Apple

Apple has launched a new “Lyrics to Live By” video series. The video series features artists explaining the meaning of some of their best known lines.

It accompanies iOS 13’s new real-time lyrics feature which turns Apple Music into a karaoke experience. It lets users view scrolling song lyrics for the music they listen to.

Senior UK Spotify exec jumps ship to Apple Music

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
Austin Daboh will be Apple Music's new Head of Editorial in the United Kingdom.
Photo: Spotify

A Spotify executive described as “one of the most senior and best connected figures at Spotify’s UK HQ” has jumped ship to Apple.

Former BBC Radio 1 and Spotify employee Austin Daboh will act as the new Head of Editorial for the UK & Ireland at Apple Music’s London HQ. Daboh will shape Apple Music’s UK editorial and playlist ecosystem. In particular, he’ll be focusing on promoting new British artists.

Amazon Music HD just upped the ante with lossless audio tier

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Amazon Music
Amazon is throwing down the gauntlet to rivals.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon has launched a new lossless tier of its music service, called Amazon Music HD. The new HD tier costs $14.99 per month or $12.99 per month to Amazon Prime subscribers.

Amazon Music HD offers more than 50 million high-resolution tracks at CD quality and higher, courtesy of 16-bit files and sample rates of 44.1kHZ and above. It also promises “millions of tracks” in ultra high-def for the true music quality connoisseur.

Apple Music releases ‘Up Next Live’ EPs of summer Apple Store concerts

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Bad Bunny
Concerts were designed to promote up-and-coming artists like Bad Bunny.
Photo: Apple

Over the summer, Apple Music hosted a series of seven exclusive concerts at global Apple Stores. The concerts featured artists Bad Bunny, Omar Apollo, Khalid, King Princess, Daniel Caesar, Ashley McBryde, and Lewis Capaldi.

Anyone who missed them can now check out these rising stars in concert, courtesy of Apple’s “Up Next Live” EPs. Now streaming on Apple Music.

Spotify now matches Apple Music’s 3-month free trial

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Spotify app now playing screen
Spotify and Siri are finally a team.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Spotify is now matching Apple Music’s generous three-month free trial for new subscribers.

The offer is available to eligible individual and student users who sign up for any Spotify Premium plan, starting today. It will be extended to support Duo and Family Plans in the coming months.

TV drama will show how Spotify ‘beat Apple’

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Spotify is adding 2x as many monthly subscribers as Apple Music
The battle for our ears. And listening dollars.
Photo: Spotify

Streaming giant Spotify’s history shows a company that rose from nothing to take on Apple — and won. Well, kind of. At least, that’s the story that may be told in a new screen adaptation of Spotify’s rise to prominence.

While it’s not yet in production, the UK division of Swedish film and TV company Yellow Bird (the company behind the Swedish Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) just acquired the adaptation rights to the recent book Spotify Untold.

Think of it as The Social Network, only about the world of streaming music.

Porsche’s debut all-electric car will be the first with built-in Apple Music

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Porsche Taycan Apple deal
Coming soon to a Porsche near you. Well, so long as long as you live near a dealership or some very rich people.
Photo: Porsche

Porsche and Apple have brokered a deal to allow the new electric Porsche Taycan can stream Apple Music directly in-car.

“It’s about innovation,” said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America. “…It’s about brand values that we share. And that’s why we were really excited when the project started.”

Apple Music playlist transports you to the hottest Ibiza clubs

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Ibiza club
Drinks are a whole lot cheaper, though.
Photo: XXNU/Flickr CC

Apple Music boasts some 50 million songs in its catalog. That’s the equivalent of almost two miles if it was a heap of CD-based albums piled on on top of the other.

To help make sense of all of this, Apple hosts a wide variety of hand-selected playlists. Now, thanks to two of the hottest clubs in EDM capital Ibiza, they’ve gotten some more. It’s like a vacation in your pocket!

Spotify might finally get Siri support with iOS 13

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Spotify Premium update October 2018
Apple and Spotify might declare a truce.
Photo: Spotify

Apple might be ready to agree to a truce with Spotify that would allow iOS users to control the rival music streaming service with Siri.

iPhone users have been unable to use Siri and Spotify together even though you can do it with Apple Music. Reports of the negotiations come as Apple is facing more intense scrutiny for anti-trust practices, with Spotify being one of the loudest dissenting voices.

Troubleshoot Apple Music with Smart Playlists

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Cassette tapes
In the olden days, playlists were stored on tapes.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Think about your music library for a second. Which of the songs in your library come from Apple Music? Which ones did you add to the library yourself? And which ones have you added to iTunes Match, but haven’t actually made it to your iCloud library yet?

These things are a little confusing. The beauty of Apple Music, and the iCloud Music Library, is that all of your music is there, in one place. But this simplicity also makes it hard to see what’s going on. Happily, iTunes is still more than up to the task, and can even split these songs into individual playlists. Let’s check it out.

How to repeat and shuffle songs in iOS 13

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Shuffling songs used to be easy. Here's how to shuffle songs in Apple Music in iOS 13.
Shuffling songs used to be easy.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

This may seem like a frivolous how-to. But seeing as I couldn’t work out how to switch off shuffle Apple Music tracks on my iPhone in iOS 12, I think it’s worth a look — if only so dummies like me can look it up.

BTW, you can find the Apple Music repeat and shuffle controls in iOS 12 by swiping up on the Now Playing panel to reveal the buttons at the bottom, if you need to know.

So, let’s take a look at how Apple changed things in the iOS 13 Music app.

Apple Music showcases its massive high-def library

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Apple Music and Drake
Let's hear it for high-res Drake tracks.
Photo: Apple

Music producers will bring sweeter sounds to the discriminating Apple Music user thanks to a new digital masters initiative for Apple’s burgeoning streaming service.

As Apple phases out iTunes with the launch of a new macOS, it will fold in all Mastered for iTunes tracks and high-definition Apple Music songs into one catalog.