What is Apple Music for Mac all about? Are there any alternatives to it?
Today we are going to talk about Apple Music Mac – the latest addition to iTunes, which is designed to help you find new music created specifically for you. We will also check all the other alternatives to Apple Music Mac.
Some background about Apple Music:
In order to benefit from Apple Music Mac you have to have iTunes. If you are just thinking of getting Mac or iPhone for yourself, do not worry – you can easily install iTunes on your Windows. Apple Music Mac was launched quite recently – in the end of June of 2015 but it has already found a lot of fans around the world.
Apple Music Mac will help you stream music and also you will have access to many different radio stations. You will also be able to connect with your favourite artists which takes the whole listening to music experience to the next level. And all of it for just $10 a month! There a couple of advantages of Apple Music Mac:
- You get to try it out for free for 3 months;
- You get to listen to the majority of the songs on the iTunes without having to buy them;
- The family plan saves you a lot – it is just $16 a month and 6 people can share it;
- It works around the world (at the moment in more than 100 countries!);
- You can listen to both your downloaded songs and stream music at the same time.
It is understandable why it became popular – iTunes users do not have to use any other programs to stream music or listen to the radio. Now iTunes boasts even more features.
To get started you need to make sure that your iPhone is updated to iOS 8.4 or if you are using Mac – to iTunes 12.2. Please go to Settings, then to “General” and choose “Software Update”. Once you are have updated your system, you can proceed. Go to “Music” section and select “Start 3 Month Free Trial”. Next, decide whether you would like to try out an individual plan or a family plan (up to 6 members). After three-months-trial you will be charged $9.99 or $14.99 respectively. Even though this is a free trial, your payment method will still be verified. If after 3 months of using Apple Music on your Mac you decide to stop using it, you need to go to your Settings and cancel subscription because in the worst-case scenario you will be charged for an upcoming month.
After your payment method is verified you will have to confirm your Apple Music subscription. During the process of signing up for this service, you might be asked to insert your Apple ID a couple of times so it might be a good idea to have it somewhere near. After that, go to “For You” tab and choose the genres that you like – they will be written on the bubbles, you just have to tap on them. Next, select the artists that you like according to the genres. Wait for the customized music suggestions appear and enjoy the tracks..
However, here is a major disadvantage: once your trial period is over, you have to pay to access the streaming service and the radios. Nowadays there are many similar services to choose from. These alternatives are well-known and are loved by thousands of people and what is absolutely great about them, one does not have to pay any subscription fees.
Let’s have a look at the alternatives to Apple Music on Mac and iPhone
Best Apple Music alternative on your Mac. VOX Premium. Create free account!
SoundCloud as an alternative to Apple Music on Mac and iPhone
SoundCloud is one of the first services which come to mind when one says “streaming music “. That’s why it is often called a major rival to Apple Music Mac. It is easy to navigate between the genres, add tracks to your collection and follow your favourite artists. There is even more to that – one can also download their own songs and share them with the world, whereas on iTunes you are more likely to find well-known artists. Also, some of the music tracks can be downloaded for free – if the artist allows that (you just have to find “Download” button next to your song). As you can see, in terms of streaming, SoundCloud is definitely not the loser here. Besides, it is free. But if you would also like to listen to various radio stations – then you should choose Apple Music for Mac, because unfortunately SoundCloud does not have such an option at the moment.
VOX Music Player for Mac & iPhone – good Apple Music Alternative inside
VOX Music Player is a music player which can be downloaded for free and supports both lossy and lossless formats. If you download a track in FLAC format and get decent headphones, you will never ever listen to lossy sound again. As we all know, iTunes does not support many music formats, especially FLAC. So if you have a music library consisting of various formats it is best to get a player, which will be able to play them in the best quality.
You can also get a whole list of radio stations in VOX Premium – the list is extremely long, there is more than 3500 radio stations now, suitable for any mood. Learn more about: How to listen to radio on iPhone.
What about streaming? Well, you can simply add SoundCloud tracks to your playlist and mix them up with the song you already own. All of this at almost no extra cost. This looks like a much better alternative to Apple Music for Mac and iPhone to us as SoundCloud stream on your Mac and iPhone option.
And the most cool feature inside VOX Player is VOX Cloud Storage. It's the best alternative to Apple Music on your Mac if you have a big music library. Loop stores your music without any space and quality restrictions. FLAC always stays FLAC. And more... sync & listen to your music library on your Mac and iPhone. Cool? Let's try all of these:
Start Using VOX Premium with all audio features inside. Create FREE account
Apple Music for Mac is a very good service for Apple users. One does not have to search for any other app to stream music, connect with artists or to listen to the radio.
BUT, for those who don't like iTunes, there are two alternatives: SoundCloud (for those, who love to stream music) and VOX Music Player (created specifically for audiophiles). Now what you need to do is to start searching for the next favourite song ASAP ;)
