Overview
Just when you finally upgraded to the Spotify premium package, Apple announces they're bringing iTunes Radio to Australia. In its first international release after a wildly successful run in the US, this goliath music streaming platform is throwing its hat in the ring against already popular services such as Pandora and Spotify. Boasting a wealth of scientific algorithms to curate personalised listening streams, Apple are basically asking you to, please, for the love of God, start using your iTunes again.
The main drawcard Apple has here is its huge catalogue. No longer will the infuriating words 'artist not found' pop up under your search bar; iTunes has pretty much everyone on board. There are over 100 stations programmed including both basic genre offerings ('Dance Radio', 'Pop Hits Radio') as well as specific artist streams (the universal: 'Beatles Radio', the good: 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs Radio', and the meh: 'Bruno Mars Radio'). But, as Apple said in a statement yesterday, "The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalised your experience becomes."
That being said, the service still doesn't have the capacity for music on-demand that Spotify offers. Once you skip tracks, iTunes will take note and avoid that genre of music, but ultimately playlists are curated for you according to what's already in your music library. Like its competitors, the service is free with interspliced ads between tracks, with the option of upgrading. An annual subscription will set you back $34.99, as compared to $39 with Pandora or $11.99 per month with Spotify (although that also includes the capability to download music and listen offline). Also, you can guarantee that every track you listen to will have that guilt-inducing 'buy' button hovering right next to it.
While many will stick to their current platforms, it's comforting to see a major player like Apple get on board with such services. At the very least, it's an acknowledgement that our listening habits have changed — a step in the right direction for an industry that's been failing for far too long.
iTunes Radio was made available to Australians on February 11. You can access it via your iTunes account.