Apple has entered the steaming music industry at last after revealing its latest offering at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple Music is now available as a built-in component of the iOS 8.4 Music app for iPhone and iPad devices. The new service offers a large catalog of tracks for streaming play for $10 per month or $15 for a six-user family plan. However, it is free for the first three months starting the day you sign up, so it gives you the opportunity to explore it for a while to determine if it is something you want to pay for.
The subscription service combines streaming on-demand along with playlists created by curators, radio stations and tons of additional features, such as integration of your personal library and iTunes content. It also includes the Beats 1 24-hour live radio station, which is hosted and programmed by real DJs and a variety of artists.
Apple Music is now in the running against existing services like Spotify, Pandora and Google Play Music. They have the advantages of being early on the stream scene and being able to offer a completely free tier that utilizes advertisements to supplement streaming so users don't have to pay to access tracks. However, Apple has its Connect feature, which is essentially a social networking platform for artists that allows them to post exclusive content directly to their fans in a feed-styled interface that is integrated into the app.
To acquire Apple Music on your iOS device, go to your Settings app and select General → Software Update. The update for the iTunes app to add the service to a desktop is expected as well as an Android app to be launched later this year. If you're unable to get the update right away, keep an eye on it and try again periodically — Apple has to deal with some delays due to the traffic associated with these huge releases.
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