I’m the first to confess that I am not a music addict. I can go days without powering up Spotify, a service that has been costing me £9.99 a month. I was already wondering whether I should go back to the free version when, this afternoon, Apple Music arrived. It’s part of the iOS 8.4 upgrade which I have just downloaded to the iPhone without a hitch.
Fickle friend that I am, I have said a tearful goodbye to Spotify and decided to go Apple. It seems to me to be more integrated with my old iTunes purchases and with the Apple eco-system in general. I also believe Siri is well acquainted with Music and will be my helpmate on occasion when I have a sudden desire to listen to something exotic.
While Apple music is the same price as Spotify at £9.99, there is a free three-month introduction which some will see as a £30 discount on the year. Apple also offers a £14.99-a-month family subscription which sounds very attractive.
Reviews of Apple Music are now out and the reactions are extremely positive, not that I am a typical person to pronounce judgment. Veteran commentator Walt Mossberg believes Apple Music is “the most full-featured streaming music app; the first I’d consider paying for.”
I can, if I wish, go back to Spotify at any time. I have had no complaints about the service and I feel a bit of a cad jumping off at the first hurdle. Yet in common with those of us committed to the Apple eco-system, I prefer to support Apple provided the service is at least as good. From what I’ve read, Apple Music is better.
It will be interesting to discover just how many cancellations Spotify clocks up in the next 24 hours.