Apple Music launched at the end of June, and, with it, a three-month trial period for users to take advantage of and try out the newest music streaming service on the market.
While initial numbers are certainly positive, there’s still plenty of feedback coming into Apple Music’s designers, letting them know that there’s still work to be done. And, indeed, Apple’s Vice President of iTunes International, Oliver Schusser, has admitted as much in a new interview with the Guardian. The VP’s comments show that Apple is still working on making Apple Music not just better, but great, as Apple puts its focus on the features within the streaming service, like curation and Playlists, but also ironing out any issues that users might have experienced over the course of their trial period.
One of the “controversial” elements of Apple Music is Connect, the pseudo-social network for musicians and bands to post content to fans that follow them. Essentially, it’s sort of like a one-sided Twitter, with plenty of artists using Connect to promote themselves, their shows, and purchasable goods, too. According to Schusser, Connect is growing at a steady pace, but he also admits that there is a “bit of homework to be done” throughout the rest of the year to make the experience better:
“Apple Music Connect is growing big-time with more and more artists connecting to their fans, but we still have a bit of homework to be done for the rest of the year.”
As for the issues that users have been experiencing, which include, but are certainly not limited to, corrupted music libraries, missing tracks, downloads unable to complete, and an unintuitive interface, Schusser says that the company is sifting through the feedback and constantly working on improving the experience for subscribers. He also notes that Apple Music launched in 110 markets, but that Apple is trying to make it better “every day.”
“The product is always our priority, and we are getting a lot of feedback. Remember, this was a very big launch in 110 markets instantly, so we get a ton of feedback. We’re obviously trying to make it better every day.”
And, for the Android and Sonos users out there, Schusser confirmed that there’s still work needed to be done, but that Apple Music for both of those platforms will launch sometime in the fall, as expected.
Finally, Apple is hoping that its upcoming Apple Music Festival, which was announcedin mid-August and just recently added performers like The Weeknd, will be a huge boost in promotion for Apple Music as a whole. That ten day event will be a big focus for the music that comes out of it, the performances, and the overall presence of Apple Music and its branding, and the Cupertino-based company obviously hopes that helps spread the word even more than it already has.
For those curious about streaming versus download sales, the latest release from Dr. Dre, Compton: A Soundtrack has already been confirmed to be streamed over 25 million times in its first week of availability, which was an exclusive launch for Apple Music. At the same time, though, the album was purchased digitally from iTunes 500,000 times. That indicates to Schusser that download sales are still strong, despite streaming music taking off:
“If you follow the industry and look at the numbers, the download business has been really, really healthy. iTunes is a big part of our business, still, and will continue to be, so we focus just as much time and energy on maintaining that, editorially and working on features.”
The full interview can be read through the source link below. There’s obviously plenty of room for Apple Music to grow, and it’s at least good to hear that Apple is focused on making the product better.
Are you still using Apple Music?
[via The Guardian]
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