What is the difference between iTunes and the music app?

Brief History of iTunes

iTunes was first launched by Apple in January 2001 as a media player and media library application for Mac OS. It allowed users to organize their digital music library on their computer and sync it with the iPod which launched later that year (1). The software quickly became the main way that Apple customers interacted with their music libraries. Over the years, Apple expanded iTunes’ capabilities to include other media like podcasts, audiobooks, TV shows, movies, iOS apps, and ebooks (2). iTunes helped propel the iPod to mass popularity and became a key part of Apple’s ecosystem.

(1) https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/a-eulogy-for-itunes-the-story-of-how-a-piece-of-software-grew-to-be-hated-quite-so-much-1.921687

(2) https://www.imore.com/trouble-itunes

Brief History of Apple Music

Apple Music was launched in 2015 as Apple’s streaming music service, allowing access to over 90 million songs (Source). It emerged as Apple’s answer to the growing popularity of music streaming services like Spotify, which launched in 2008.

Apple Music gives users access to a large library of songs to stream on demand, similar to Spotify. One of the key goals behind Apple Music was to provide a unified platform for enjoying music across Apple devices. The service was built into Apple’s iOS and Mac operating systems, allowing tight integration with products like the iPhone.

iTunes Library vs Apple Music Library

The key difference between iTunes and Apple Music libraries is ownership versus access. The iTunes library consists of music and media that the user has purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store. This means the user owns these files and they are stored locally on their device. The Apple Music library provides access to stream over 90 million songs, but users do not own or download these tracks. This article explains that the iTunes library is like an “all-in-one digital media library” since it contains all purchased content. In contrast, Apple Music is centered around subscription streaming.

When you add a song to your iTunes library, the audio file is downloaded to your device’s storage. You own this file indefinitely and can listen offline. With Apple Music, songs are streamed on-demand, requiring an internet connection. The Apple Music catalog provides access to a vast selection of songs to stream, but users do not keep these files when they unsubscribe.

One of the key differences between iTunes and Apple Music is how you access the music content – through downloading or streaming. iTunes allows users to purchase individual songs or full albums to download permanently to your devices and access offline. According to this article from prime.co.za, downloading music allows you to keep your music library to listen to anytime without an internet connection. However, downloading songs and albums on iTunes requires payment per item downloaded.

In contrast, Apple Music provides access to stream over 90 million songs but does not allow downloads for offline listening. As explained in this Prezi presentation, Apple Music offers a subscription model, so you can stream any song in the Apple Music catalog on-demand rather than purchasing each download. However, an internet connection is required for streaming. Apple Music also includes expert-curated playlists and radio stations for music discovery.

In summary, the key difference is that iTunes facilitates permanent downloads for offline listening after purchase, while Apple Music enables ad-free on-demand streaming from its vast catalog but requires an internet connection.

Song Selection

One of the main differences between iTunes and Apple Music is in the song selection available to users. With iTunes, users are purchasing and downloading songs from the iTunes catalog to own. As of 2021, the iTunes store had over 75 million songs available for purchase and download (Source). Once purchased, these songs are permanently available in the user’s iTunes library on their devices.

Apple Music, as a streaming subscription service, gives users access to stream over 90 million songs on demand (Source). This library is significantly larger than the iTunes store catalog. However, users do not own the rights to these songs. If they cancel their Apple Music subscription, they lose access to the full catalog and can only listen to songs they have downloaded to their device storage.

Price and Purchasing

iTunes uses a pay-per-song or pay-per-album model for purchasing music. Users can buy individual songs for $0.99-$1.29 or whole albums starting at around $7.99. There is no subscription fee, so you only pay for the specific songs or albums you want to own (Apple – iTunes – Download iTunes Now). Once purchased, the songs are available to download and listen to offline across authorized devices logged into the same iTunes account.

Apple Music operates on a subscription model, charging users $9.99 per month for access to over 90 million songs in the Apple Music catalog. This allows unlimited streaming and downloading for offline listening during the subscription period. There is also a $14.99 family plan that allows sharing with up to 6 family members (Difference Between iTunes and Apple Music? | 1710 Media). With Apple Music, you do not own the songs, but simply pay for access as long as your subscription is active.

Devices and Apps

One key difference between iTunes and Apple Music is the devices and platforms they support. iTunes is designed to sync music, videos, and other media to Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod [1]. Once you purchase and download content from the iTunes Store, you can transfer it to your Apple devices and play it offline. This makes iTunes the ideal companion for iPods and older iOS devices without internet connectivity.

In contrast, Apple Music is a streaming music service similar to Spotify. It offers access to over 90 million songs but requires an internet connection to stream the music [2]. While Apple Music is available on iOS devices, it also extends support to Android smartphones and tablets. You can also access Apple Music on Windows PCs through iTunes or the Apple Music web player. So Apple Music provides more cross-platform support, while iTunes is focused solely on the Apple ecosystem.

Audio Quality

iTunes uses AAC encoding at 256 kbps for audio files purchased from the iTunes Store [1]. AAC is an advanced audio codec that provides high-quality audio at smaller file sizes compared to formats like WAV or FLAC. At 256 kbps, the audio quality is indistinguishable from the original source for most listeners using standard headphones or speakers [2].

Apple Music streams audio up to 24-bit/192 kHz lossless quality, which captures the full dynamic range and nuance of studio-quality recordings with uncompressed, CD-quality audio [3]. Lossless audio retains every bit of detail from the original studio master recordings. This higher resolution provides audiophiles with superior fidelity and dynamic range compared to iTunes audio files. However, lossless audio requires significantly more bandwidth and storage space.

Radio and Playlists

iTunes offered curated radio stations organized by genre, artist, or song that users could listen to with limited skipping and no control over which songs played. As explained on Reddit, “iTunes Radio was a lean-back experience where you didn’t directly choose the songs” (Source). In contrast, Apple Music uses advanced algorithms to generate personalized playlists for each user based on their listening habits and preferences. Users have full control to skip songs, reorder playlists, and fine-tune recommendations on Apple Music.

Playlists on Apple Music go far beyond the radio stations offered on iTunes. With Apple Music, you can access endless personalized playlists tailored specifically to your tastes. As noted in one Apple forum discussion, playlists offer a more customizable experience by allowing you to “choose the songs, the order they play, etc.” Whereas iTunes radio was limited to whatever song the station decided to play next.

In summary, the curated radio stations of iTunes have been replaced by intelligent, personalized playlists powered by algorithms and tailored for each Apple Music subscriber. This gives users much more control over their listening experience.

Purpose and Use Cases

iTunes and Apple Music serve different core purposes when it comes to accessing and listening to music.

iTunes is fundamentally a media library and media player, allowing users to purchase, download, and manage their music library locally on their devices. With iTunes, users pay per song or album downloaded and build their permanent personal libraries of owned music. iTunes downloads offer higher quality 256 kbps AAC files without the need for an internet connection to stream.

In contrast, Apple Music is a subscription-based music streaming service. Instead of purchasing and downloading individual tracks or albums, Apple Music offers access to a catalog of over 90 million songs for a monthly subscription fee. Songs are streamed on-demand from the cloud rather than downloaded and stored locally. This gives access to a much wider selection but requires an internet connection to play songs.

The key differences come down to ownership versus access. iTunes purchasers retain permanent access to the music they buy. Apple Music subscribers pay for temporary access to stream its catalog as long as they keep paying the monthly fee.

So in summary, iTunes focuses on music ownership through purchases and downloads, while Apple Music is a streaming service for access to a vast library. For users with large owned libraries or wanting higher quality downloads, iTunes remains the best option. For access to more music on-the-go, Apple Music streaming fits that need.