Apple Music is making its latest move to encourage musicians to choose its platform over rivals like Spotify, and it’s great news for DJs. Using Shazam’s music identifying tech, Apple Music will analyze a DJ’s mix to ensure that the DJ, original artists, and their labels are fairly compensated financially.
This will be a win-win all ‘round. DJs can create and release live mixes without fear of being hit with copyright claims, artists get paid for their work, and dance music fans will get a whole host of new content to enjoy.
There’s no telling if this latest move will finally put Apple Music ahead of Spotify in the great music streaming battle for supremacy, but it gives Apple Music yet another leg up over the reigning champion. If you want to try Apple music out for yourself you can for $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$11.99 a month, starting with a three-month free trial.
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Analysis: why can’t Apple Music take the lead?
Apple Music has already taken a few strides to push ahead of Spotify, but so far it hasn’t been successful. Most recently it added Spatial Audio and Lossless, two formats that promise to give you high-quality listening options for your favorite tracks.
Spotify has its own HD music option coming soon (called Spotify HiFi) but until it comes out it means that generally, Apple offers the superior listening experience - especially if you use an iPhone and AirPods. Despite this, Apple’s lack of a free tier means people on a budget widely prefer Spotify’s ad-supported listening option even if the service doesn’t give them the best audio quality.
However, with its new push towards DJ-created content, Apple could be onto a winner. While Apple Music may not pull many artists and listeners away from Spotify right away, it could draw them in from platforms like Mixcloud if it can develop its features just a little more.
Apple Music doesn’t yet allow user-generated content, but with Shazam it could soon be headed that way. This move would give rising star DJs a safe space to show off their skills without having to worry about the financial troubles their set could land them in.
User-generated content is predicted to be an absolute gold mine for the music industry over the coming years, and Apple could be gearing itself to take a piece of it. We’ll have to wait and see.
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