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What is the best platform for streaming music?
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Apple Music is the best streaming service because of its high profile and exclusive releases

Many artists exclusively sign deals with Apple Music. This is part of the business model as there is no free tier to Apple Music.

The Argument

Setting Apple Music apart from other streaming services is its exclusive content. Artists have signed exclusive deals with Apple to release their content on their platform, before anywhere else. This has set Apple apart from other streaming services.[1] These exclusive deals contribute to Apple having the largest music library of all streaming sites, with over 60 million songs (compares to 50 million from Amazon and Spotify). Some of Apple's exclusives include Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Brittney Spears, and Frank Ocean, among others.[1] These exclusive deals make Apple Music's library the most extensive in the industry, offering a wider range of artists than competing services and granting early access to its subscribers. Recently, Apple Music has also adopted the strategy of signing exclusive deals with up-and-coming artists. For example, only Apple subscribers will have listening access to several songs by French rap duo PNL[2], before the songs eventually become available on other streaming platforms. Still, this allows Apple Music users to be the first to experience new music, an advantage that other streaming services do not offer.

Counter arguments

By making some content exclusive to Apple users, the platform may actually be driving piracy in the music streaming world. People are faced with the choice of buying the album outright or finding an illegal version online. Artists often enter these exclusivity deals for the extra money from the deal, but in the long term, artists risk losing money to illegal downloads.[3] The use of exclusives has been condemned by various artists too. Lady Gaga has been a vocal opponent to exclusives, saying in 2016: “I told my label that if they signed those contracts with Apple Music and Tidal, I’d leak all my own new music."[4] Exclusives are seen as a way for the artist and the service they sign with to make more money at the customer's expense. Exclusives limit and alienate parts of the artist's audience, creating long term damage to the artist themselves.[4]

Proponents

Premises

[P1] Apple music buys exclusive rights to selected artists and albums. [P2] Apple music subscribers get early access to selected works. [P3] Therefore Apple music has the largest music library and offers subscribers greater value.

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/07/04/apple-music-exclusive-artists/
  2. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/07/04/apple-music-exclusive-artists/
  3. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/07/04/apple-music-exclusive-artists/
  4. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-apple-music-tidal-exclusives-are-reshaping-music-industry-106132/
This page was last edited on Monday, 21 Sep 2020 at 13:51 UTC

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