After months of speculation, Apple Music has officially launched — with the Beats 1 radio station also kicking off one hour from now at 12pm ET/9am PT.
Apple Music, which received positive first-look reviews earlier today, is initially available for a free three-month trial, after which it will set users back $9.99 per month — or $14.99 if you want to share with up to six members of your family.
To access Apple Music, you’ll first need to download the iOS 8.4 software update, which you can do by checking the Settings on your iOS device. For desktop streaming, check iTunes for the necessary software update.
Apple Music boasts streaming versions of the existing iTunes catalog, along with previously-unavailable streaming music such as Dr. Dre’s 1992 hip-hop classic “The Chronic” and AC/DC’s back catalog.
Beats 1 radio, meanwhile, will boast a star-studded lineup of everyone from Elton John to Jaden Smith — along with guest hosts such as Drake, Pharrell Williams, St. Vincent, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, and the British electronic duo Disclosure. It is helmed by renowned radio personality Zane Lowe joined Apple earlier this year, after more than a decade at the popular U.K. radio station BBC Radio 1.
Check out everything you need to know about Apple Music here.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
21 responses to “The wait is over, Apple Music now live”
I have iOS 9 and there are no software updates available. I have Beats 1, but no new iTunes icon or Apple Music…….just the regular stations. What gives?
Same goes for me.
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The likelihood is, as has happened with previous beta releases, that major feature additions like this will get left until the next beta version release. So we could be waiting up to another 2 weeks. They usually release betas every 2 of weeks, but last weeks one was a day or two late iirc.
I get what you’re saying, but in the past, all betas had the new features/apps included. Granted, this is a service, but if Beats 1 is active, I would think they would activate Apple Music……….for anything, to at least beta test. They released a 8.3x beta last week with the beta 2 of iOS 9. Oh well, I can wait another week, if that’s the deal. I am liking the Beats 1 feature.
What happened to landscape mode on Iphone6 plus?
Apple music, snore.
Have a cold?
Yes, sick of apple music already :)
Obvious that you are a troll.
Nah, just not a fan of streaming services.
Hmm iTunes page still shows 12.1.2 as the newest version, not 12.2 :(
Yea, I keep being redirected to that page… :( I want to listen on iTunes!
If you are (or anyone else is) able to download the new version of iTunes, please post on here and let me know!
I’m having the same issue. I’m enrolled in the public beta program and its still not letting me download iTunes 12.2
I wonder if iTunes 12.2 won’t release until the fall with El Capitain…after the free trial is released? No one seems to be reporting on when 12.2 will be released
Everywhere has said it should’ve released today. Apple wouldn’t put that kind of feature gap between OS X and iOS. Something must’ve gone wrong before the iTunes launch that’s making them delay it.
does anyone know how many devices you can use on the family plan
Six
Just as a test, I was in the truck and I said to my Apple Watch “Hey SIRI play songs by ABBA” I choose ABBA because I don’t own any of there music. 15 seconds later Dancing Queen was playing in the Car.
So there’s that…
I’m really disappointed by the way Apple Music works. I thought I’d still go to the iTunes Store and look up music and select from there whether I want to buy or add to my Music and stream from there. I’ve made two accidental purchases as soon as I went on it. Why are they doing it like this…? It’s so un-Apple like… and it’s definitely not part of the “it just works” philosophy…
Also, not everything in the iTunes store is also available to stream and save in Music which is what they’ve been shouting about for a while now, well at least I got that impression… but everything I can’t stream on Spotify is also missing from Apple Music – althought it IS available on the iTunes store… Perhaps streaming is not the future after all… but I think Spotify has nothing to worry about.