Apple Music launched Tuesday to much fanfare, allowing customers to stream an unlimited number of songs for a monthly fee instead of buying them one by one on iTunes.
The service does for music what Netflix did for TV and movies, but it isn't the first service to do so.
Spotify, which offers a monthly subscription for the same price — $10 — launched a few years ago, and currently boasts 20 million paying subscribers. Rdio, Deezer, Tidal, and Rhapsody also offer similar subscriptions.
According to The Guardian U.K., "All these companies will be trying to crack the biggest challenge in the streaming world: Convincing musicians and songwriters that their model can more than make up for the decline in sales of their music both in physical and download form."
Apple is offering a free three-month trial of the new service, as well as family plans for $15, which can be shared by up to six people. Additionally, any existing songs that customers have in their iTunes libraries can also be played through the new Apple Music platform, right alongside Apple's massive streaming library.
In addition to its all-you-can-eat streaming service, Apple Music also takes on companies like Pandora by offering custom, software-driven radio stations, as well as human-curated stations.
Last but certainly not least, Apple Music includes a live, 24/7 traditional radio station called Beats1 Radio.
The worldwide broadcast kicked off at noon on Tuesday, with former BBC DJ Zane Lowe playing tracks from Grammy Award-winner Beck, Jamie xx, and Spring King. Celebrity DJs who will also curate music for Beats1 include Dr. Dre, Elton John, and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme.
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