Apple Music gains iTunes Match


Jim Dalrymple:

One of the biggest complaints about Apple Music over the past year was that it wouldn't properly match songs subscribers had in their existing iTunes libraries. That problem is being fixed by Apple.

Apple has been quietly rolling out iTunes Match audio fingerprint to all Apple Music subscribers. Previously Apple was using a less accurate metadata version of iTunes Match on Apple Music, which wouldn't always match the correct version of a particular song. We've all seen the stories of a live version of a song being replaced by a studio version, etc.

Using iTunes Match with audio fingerprint, those problems should be a thing of the past.

Apple Music is the $10 per month streaming service that beams you music for a monthly fee. iTunes Match is a yearly $25 per year service that syncs up your music libraries between devices. One essentially is rented music, the other manages the music you own. With Apple Music, now you get both services.

I like iTunes Match because it makes everything seamless between devices. I can buy or rip a song on a computer and it will be available to download from Apple on all my devices. iTunes Match also supports playlists.

Making this feature available on Apple Music, gives Apple Music more value. It's basically worth $2/mo to me.