Highlights

• Spatial Audio tracks on Apple Music to receive up to 10% higher royalties.
• Significant improvements and stability updates to Apple Music Classical app.
• Introduction of collaborative playlists and emoji reactions in iOS 17.3.
• SharePlay with CarPlay featured as part of the innovative iOS 17 update.

Apple Music is taking significant steps to revolutionize the way users and artists interact with music.

In a recent development, the platform has announced a new royalty structure that favours Spatial Audio tracks, alongside notable updates to its Apple Music Classical app and the introduction of collaborative playlists.

Increased Royalties for Spatial Audio Content

A major move by Apple Music, aimed at encouraging artists and labels to adopt Spatial Audio, is the introduction of higher royalty rates for tracks in this immersive format.

According to a letter from Apple Music to its partners, which Billboard obtained, starting from the end of January, royalties for music available in Spatial Audio will see up to a 10% increase compared to standard tracks.

This incentive reflects Apple’s commitment to higher-quality content and compensates artists for their extra efforts in mixing music in Spatial Audio.

Since its launch in June 2021, Spatial Audio has seen a significant uptake, with a 5000% increase in the number of songs available in this format and a substantial rise in user engagement.

Apple Music Classical App Enhancements

In addition to the Spatial Audio initiative, Apple has also updated the Apple Music Classical app.

The update focuses on stability and performance improvements, although it initially appeared to include CarPlay support.

However, this feature was quickly retracted following issues with app crashes.

Users can still control the Classical app through the Now Playing interface on CarPlay, but a dedicated CarPlay version for the Classical app remains a desired feature.

The standalone Classical app offers a more organized and focused catalog than the general Apple Music app, making it an essential tool for classical music enthusiasts.

Collaborative Playlists and Social Features

Apple Music is not just enhancing the listening experience but also making it more interactive and social.

With the rollout of iOS 17.3, Apple Music has introduced features that allow users to share music and collaborate on playlists.

Demonstrated in a 3-minute video by Ebro Darden, Nadeska Alexis, and Lowkey on Apple Music’s YouTube channel, these features enable users to invite friends to collaborate on playlists and use emoji to react to specific songs.

This addition of collaborative playlists, which had a brief appearance in the iOS 17.2 beta, is now available to all users with iOS 17.3.

Another interesting feature highlighted in the video is SharePlay with CarPlay, which was introduced as part of iOS 17.

The latest updates from Apple Music, from higher royalties for Spatial Audio tracks to enhanced Classical app functionality and collaborative playlists, showcase Apple’s commitment to improving both the artist and user experience on its platform.

FAQs

What does the new royalty structure for Spatial Audio mean for artists on Apple Music?

Artists creating music in Spatial Audio format on Apple Music will now receive up to a 10% increase in royalties, incentivizing higher-quality production and acknowledging their extra efforts.

How has Apple Music Classical app been improved in the latest update?

The latest update to the Apple Music Classical app focuses on enhancing stability and performance.

While initial CarPlay support was retracted due to technical issues, the app remains a key tool for classical music lovers.

What are collaborative playlists on Apple Music, and how do they work?

Collaborative playlists, introduced with iOS 17.3, allow Apple Music users to create and edit playlists together with friends, making music listening a more social experience.

Can users react to songs on Apple Music playlists?

Yes, with the latest update, users can now use emoji to react to songs in Apple Music playlists, adding a fun, interactive element to music sharing.

What is SharePlay with CarPlay, and how does it enhance the Apple Music experience?

SharePlay with CarPlay, a feature of iOS 17, allows users to share and enjoy music in a collaborative way.

What is Apple Music Classical ?

Launched in March 2023, Apple Music Classical initially provided users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to a vast library of over five million classical music tracks, all included in the base subscription cost.

The streaming app has advanced search capabilities, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

Available on various platforms including iPhone, iPad and Android, the latest expansion of Apple Music Classical to CarPlay enhances its accessibility and usability, especially for users who prefer to enjoy their favourite classical tunes while on the go.

Notably, Apple Music Classical is built upon Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

This acquisition has contributed to a number of features and extensive classical music catalogue offered by Apple Music Classical.

Apple Music Classical subscription.Details?

The Apple Music Classical app offers ad-free recordings of classical music with up to 192 kHz/24-bit lossless audio as well as recordings that support spatial audio.

Users can purchase a subscription to Apple Music or Apple One to access the songs available on the platform.

Apple Music Classical app offers scores of curated playlists and exclusive albums from over 5 million tracks.

It also offers composer biographies, deep-dive guides for many key works and intuitive browsing features, among others.

Apple Music Classical Now Available on CarPlay [Removed].Details?

Apple Music Classical was updated today with what appeared to be CarPlay support, but this was quickly reversed in a follow-up update.

Apple Music Classical showed up on CarPlay starting with version 1.2 today, but support was removed in version 1.2.1 just hours later, after the app failed to load when opened on CarPlay.

It’s unclear if or when CarPlay support will return.

Apple Music Classical first launched in March 2023, offering users with a standard Apple Music subscription access to over five million classical music tracks at no additional cost.

The streaming app features advanced search functionality, exclusive artwork, extensive metadata, curated listening recommendations, and more.

The app is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It is built upon Primephonic, a classical music streaming service acquired by Apple in 2021.

Apple Music will now pay 10% higher royalties to artists for Spatial Audio music. Details?

Apple Music is now encouraging artists with a financial incentive to make their music available in Spatial Audio, which offers an immersive surround sound experience when listening with AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and other headphones.

Apple will pay up to 10% more per play in royalties for tracks where a spatial version is available. This is starting with January’s payouts.

Apple Music users do not necessarily have to listen in Spatial Audio for the artist to be rewarded with the bonus payout.

The metric is calculated based on the proportion of Spatial Available to Non-Spatial Available plays.

So if an artist offers all their music in spatial (i.e using Dolby Atmos mastering), they will see the 10% royalty bonus even if no one actually listened to the spatial version.

Apple says more than 90% of subscribers have tried listening to a song in Spatial Audio, and total Spatial Audio plays has more than tripled in the last two years.

Even before today’s announcement, the number of songs available in Spatial Audio has increased nearly 5000% since the feature launched back in 2021, with that number more than doubling in the last year alone.

The new financial incentives should help accelerate adoption of Spatial Audio in the Apple Music catalog even further.

The company says the 10% bonus is seen as both a reward for artists delivering higher quality content, and as a form of compensation to recognize the additional time and effort required to mix in Dolby Atmos.

Apple shares video highlighting collaborative playlists on Apple Music.Details?

The feature lets you team up with other people to create shared playlists where everyone can contribute songs. And to promote the update, Apple has shared a new video about it with the hosts of Rap Life Review.

The 3-minute video published on Apple Music’s YouTube channel features Ebro Darden, Nadeska Alexis, and Lowkey. They show users how to invite friends to collaborate on Apple Music playlists using the latest version of iOS.

During the video, the presenters also demonstrate how to react to specific songs in an Apple Music playlist using emoji.

It’s worth noting that collaborative playlists were first added in the iOS 17.2 beta, but then removed before the final release.

Now both collaborative playlists and emoji reactions are available to everyone with iOS 17.3.

Nadeska, Ebro and Lowkey break down two new features available in Apple Music. First, it’s easier than ever to curate and share music with friends.

Apple Music has added a host of new features to playlists, including the ability to collaborate with other subscribers in real time. It’s a whole new way to listen to, and discover, great music.

Second, the newest feature in SharePlay gives passengers control of the music from their own device. Now everyone along for the ride can play DJ on Apple Music.

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