MPMusicPlayerController/AVPlayer, iTunes Match & Notifications

Question

Developing a music-related iOS app. Trying to figure out what might be possible. I need background notifications (when outside app. I need this, as I have to run a small background-operation when the now playing item changes.) while also being able to play songs coming from iTunes Match. So far I've read up on MPMusicPlayerController and AVPlayer. None of them seems to fit my needs.

In a short summary:

• MPMusicPlayerController can play songs from iTunes Match, but can't deliver background notifications outside the app.

• AVPlayer is able to deliver background notifications outside the app, but can't play songs from iTunes Match.

Are there any work-arounds that I don't know of? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Ended up with a good solution for my needs. Chose MPMusicPlayerController in order to play songs from iTunes Match, while solving the need of background notifications with checking specific properties for changes when entering the application again.