I used to be a resentfully loyal Apple Music user, overcoming pangs of envy every time my partner’s Spotify algorithm spat out the perfect mix of tunes to discover. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve secretly, then not-so-secretly Shazam’d his recommended music to add to my own library. And let’s not even bother talking about Apple Music’s end-of-year roundups. We know who crushes it year after year after year. I’m still an Apple Music user, but these days I resent less, instead scratching my head wondering why Apple doesn’t do more to showcase where it shines above Spotify and the rest.
Looking at some (old-ish) data, Apple Music is the number two streamer in the world with over 32 million paid subscribers, trailing behind the obvious leader, Spotify, by around 12 million paid subscribers, and with Amazon Music inching closer to Apple Music’s numbers with over 29 million subscribers. Apple really doesn’t have to push too hard to maintain a successful streaming business. After all, it’s grouped into Services (which includes iCloud, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, advertising, and extremely importantly, payments from Google for search) which in the September 2023 quarter made USD 22.3 billion. And Services is so successful thanks to its incredibly tight product ecosystem. Apple Music will be totally fine as long as folks keep buying iPhones and music still gets made.
Still, there could be so much more done to showcase a platform that has, in this era of pervasive AI, a killer feature that is way more impressive than Spotify’s impossibly good algorithm, and that’s radio. Not algorithmic radio that infinitely scrolls music in particular styles of music or music similar to artists you listen to, but a whole stable of living and breathing DJs, music journalists, and superstar musicians creating shows on a daily basis.
Human curation is a powerful, potent, inspiring force for good. Apple Music has so much of it! Music journalist Matt Wilkinson, whose first interview was with Amy Winehouse, helps me find some of the best tunes in the indie and alternative world throughout the year with his many-times-a-week show. Nandi Madida showcases the best of African pop music from across the continent. Zane Lowe interviews the greatest pop acts on his show. Elton John and Nile Rogers and Frank Ocean and Pharrell and Ezra Koenig and ABBA have their own shows on Apple Music.
Yet hardly anyone I know who uses Apple Music knows about this wonderful feature, even though it has it’s own tab on the app, and whenever I rave about the collective musical wisdom handpicking music for us on Apple Music, their eyes light up! My only guess is that the folks at Apple Marketing don’t see the idea of spending millions across dozens of markets to promote Radio as a worthy cause, when marketing devices like iPhones, iPads, Macs and Vision Pro attracts enough users to its Services, and by extension, Apple Music.
Cue head scratching.
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