“One more thing,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “We have been working really hard on something we are excited about.” That one more thing was Apple Music, which the company unveiled today at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference.
Apple Music will launch on June 30th in over 100 countries. When asked to comment on the Canadian availability of the service, the company said it could not confirm if Apple Music will launch in Canada on the 30th.
During the presentation, the company also noted that the service will cost $9.99 (USD) per month, and that there will be a family plan where up to six family members can use the service for $14.99 (USD) per month. Like availability, specific pricing for Canada has not yet been released.
In what is likely to be a huge surprise for many, Apple Music will come to Android this fall.
The new service has its own dedicated app within iOS 9 and features a number of curated playlists by leading artists. Within the app, there is a “For You” tab, which presents personalized playlists created by “real people.” The “New” tab will automatically bring the user new albums and artists every week by genre or activity.
Also included with the service are Apple Music Radio and Apple Music Connect.
The former, dubbed Beats 1, is a live 24/7 radio station that will be live streamed from three cities — New York, London and Los Angeles — to more than 100 countries across the world. Beats 1 will be hosted by DJs Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden and Julie Adenuga and will feature music, news and various guest interviews.
Apple Music Connect, on the other hand, is a way for artists to interact directly with fans.
For the user, this means they will be able to subscribe to various artists for the opportunity to see new lyrics, photos, videos and platform exclusive releases. In addition, the social aspect of Connect allows subscribers to “comment on or like anything an artist has posted, and share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter and email.” As with other social networks, the artist can respond directly to fans.
Apple Music will launch with iOS 8.4, also presumably launching on June 30th.
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