Upcoming 'Apple Music' service will have its own social media network for artists
Industry sources who have been briefed on Apple’s plans for the relaunch of Beats Music have revealed some interesting tidbits about the upcoming service. According to a report from 9to5Mac, the new streaming music service will be called “Apple Music” and will have its own social networking integration for artists.
Apple evidently hasn’t given up on the idea of its own social media network, even though it failed to get enough attention for Ping to gain ground. However, this new network will be all about the artists, allowing them to have their own pages within the streaming music service for posting track samples, photos, videos, and concert updates. Artists will also be able to leverage their own pages to cross-promote other musicians.
Regular users of Apple Music will be able to comment on and like posts from the artists using their iTunes accounts, but they won’t have their own social network profiles like they did with Ping.
As seen in the latest iOS 8.4 beta for developers, the Restrictions Settings panel will gain an “Artist Activity” toggle that iOS device owners can use to disable their ability to see the new social networking pages. Sources claim that setting corresponds directly to the Ping-like functionality, and the network will be available across the iOS, Android, and Mac versions of Apple Music.
Apple Music is expected to be introduced at Cupertino’s WWDC keynote on June 8, alongside iOS 9, OS X 10.11, and the new Apple TV. While the Apple Music service will not have a free tier, recent information indicates that Cupertino is planning a few ways for folks to listen for free, including a trial period and samples.
