What's the difference between iTunes Match and Apple Music?

Question

I currently pay for iTunes Match which gets me advertisement free streaming as well as a unified, cloud backed iTunes Library.

I don't understand how those existing features work with or against the newly announced Apple Music subscription service.

Is the former discontinued or credited to the new service or are they complimentary and optional to pay for either A or B or both?

Answer 1

Actually, the Apple Music membership page says that service brings your iTunes library to iCloud, too

It does say Apple Music and iTunes Match are "independent but complementary," but I think I'm like you — I can't figure out why I'd want iTunes Match if I'm paying for Apple Music.

The only benefit of Match is the $2 a month price point over the $10 a month price point. Music appears to do everything Match did but better and more and is priced accordingly.

Answer 2

They're two different services according to Apple: http://www.apple.com/music/membership/

The relevant text is:

Does Apple Music work with iTunes Match?
Yes. Apple Music and iTunes Match are independent but complementary

http://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/

iTunes Match brings your iTunes library to the Cloud, so all your music (until 25k songs) on your iTunes Library (including unknown songs, like your friend's demos) are loaded and available on the cloud and you can listen them everywhere you're on all your linked devices downloading them instantly.

Apple Music is like Spotify; so you can listen all music distributed from Apple unlimitedly as you bought and download it to your various devices running watchOS, iOS, OS X and Android. (presumably iTunes on windows will be included later?)

They didn't talk of iTunes Radio so it's not clear if the value or pricing there will be increased, decreased or changed.

UPDATE: Reading on lot of sector sites, seems that Apple Music will include iTunes Match but I can't find any official confirmation...

Answer 3

Oldish question now but Apple now have a good overview of the main differences here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204962

To summarise: Apple Music and iTunes Match both give you an "iCloud Music Library" which can be populated in one of three ways: with music matched from your original local music collection, with music uploaded from your collection if iTunes cannot find a match and if you have Apple Music, with music from the a Apple Music library.

So in short, Apple Music alone contains all the functionality of iTunes Match with the only difference being the way that DRM is applied.

With iTunes Match, all music added to your library either via matching or upload is DRM free. Uploaded files can be downloaded on other devices in their original format and matched songs in DRM free 256kbps AAC.

With Apple Music, any uploaded files remain in their original DRM free form but any matched songs, or music added from the Apple Music library, can only be downloaded on other devices with DRM and will only work while you have a subscription.

Finally, iTunes Match can still complement your Apple Music subscription because if you have both you will get your matched music DRM free though it should go without saying that Apple Music content will still have DRM even with a Match subscription.

Hopefully that's clear!

Answer 4

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The difference is DRM (Apple music) vs DRM-Free music (iTunes Match).

Answer 5

It seems that Apple Music will match all of your existing music and back up any music that can't be matched. It also gives you unlimited skipping to "Apple Music radio stations." I was confused.

From my understanding, Apple Music is basically Beats Music and iTunes Match rolled into one.

Answer 6

I think I get it.

Apple Music includes Match and its capabilities (license shouldn't be different, if labels already allow adding songs from iTunes Store to collection, why not add essentially the same music to your collection by upload? Adding a Maroon 5 CD is like adding a Maroon 5 album from iTunes), and for the upload of tracks not on iTunes, well it's a pretty small ~10MB of data for Apple which it can afford as part of 10$ a month.

Regarding the independent and complementary: Apple Music and iTunes Match will be kept separate subscriptions. They can work simultaneously together(complementary). That means if you don't want Apple Music and only Match, you can do it. If you get Music, you get Match too.

Hopefully I'm right and this can simplify my subscriptions, from Spotify, Match and Pandora :/

Answer 7

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iTunes music will add DRM to the songs you upload and then download.