What does Apple Music really aim to?

The New York Times recently published an interview with Apple Music executives Jimmy Iovine and Larry Jackson. During the interview, the executives discussed where Apple Music's position is in the current music landscape. "We have no interest in being a label," says Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine. "But we do have interest in making our platform the one that’s best to communicate with the audiences."

Apple Music is known to the public for streaming tunes. But the whole platform is much bigger than that. By explaining to artists that Apple Music is also about marketing an artist, the service has been able to score exclusives on albums that eventually went on to top the charts. The part of the streaming service that the public doesn't notice is the part that sponsored Drake's 60-city tour this past summer, along with his promotional movie  "Please Forgive Me." The latter remains an exclusive for Apple.

Referral reading: Pros and Cons of Apple Music

While it is easy for the media to focus on how quickly Apple Music has added subscribers, the most impressive thing Apple has done is to cultivate a relationship with musicians who have capitalized on Apple's marketing prowess and technological strengths. Whether Apple planned this in advance, or stumbled onto this template, is not so important. By pointing to the success Apple Music has had with albums from Travis Scott, Future and DJ Khaled (all three debuted as number one on Billboard as exclusives to Apple Music), Apple can tell up and coming artists that this could happen to them if they give Apple Music an exclusive and allow them to promote their work. 

"We have real understanding of what these artists are trying to accomplish both aesthetically and commercially. We’re really getting there in merging these cultures — tech and the arts. And we’re trying to prove that we are the best place for an artist to fulfill their vision."-Jimmy Iovine, executive, Apple Music

If Apple does eventually overtake rival streamer Spotify, offering exclusives and getting in tight with the talent is how it will have to be done. Spotify already has 95 million users with 55 million using its ad-based free tier. While Apple does offer a one-time three-month free trial, it does not have a free level of service. Apple Music has 17 million subscribers at last count, and may never catch up unless it can continue to provide users with early access to music that Spotify can't play. For that to happen, Apple Music will have to continue focusing on its relationships with musicians and not pay attention to head count for another 24 months. At that point, it should take a breath to see how this strategy is working in relation to Spotify.

Referral reading: Apple Music VS Spotify

source: NYTimes

Top 5 big and popular Streaming Music Services

Music is so important to us. When you are happy, you like some happy music. When you are sad, you will also need some music.

Where to listen to the music, the streaming Music services will be a good choice.

Here collect the top 5 big and popular streaming music services, and you will find one you like. 

Spotify

Spotify is slowly but surely becoming the most popular subscription-based music streaming service worldwide that offers users unlimited access and streaming limits to an extremely wide variety of audio tracks, artists, genres, albums and playlists. With a free account, you can play any artist, album or playlist on shuffle for free.

Referral reading: Spotify VS Apple Music

All you need to do is sign up and start using it from the web, desktop application or mobile apps. You can use Spotify freely for however long you want, but if you want to listen to specific tracks any time or build more complex playlists for yourself, you'll need to upgrade to a premium account.

Google Play Music

Google Play Music offers more music than you'd ever imagine in any genre that you want and by practically any artist or band that has ever existed. There are also tons of pre-built playlists that are suggested to you based on the date and time, taking into account activities you might be doing or holidays that are coming up. You can even upload and sync up to 50,000 tracks from your own music collection.

The one major downside is that Google Play Music is loaded with ads. As long as you stick with the free version, be prepared to sit through lots of long commercials between songs.

Pandora

Pandora is “free personalized radio that only plays music you’ll love,” and at the moment it's only available for listeners in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. The Pandora "Music Genome Project" involved analyzing over 450 qualities of individual songs to produce an advanced algorithm that seeks to help users discover the music that fits their styles and tastes as accurately as possible.

You can create up to 100 unique stations and tweak them as you listen. There’s also an upgrade you can make, called Pandora One, which takes away the ads, offers higher listening quality, adds desktop applications, provides different custom skin choices and minimizes interruptions while you’re enjoying music.

Apple Music

Apple Music is a full-fledged subscription streaming music service that compares favorably with other top cloud music services such as Spotify, Pandora Radio, etc. It has excellent mobile support and also has good music discovery options.

Referral reading: Pros and Cons of Apple Music, VS iTunes Match

Rather than relying solely on algorithms to suggest new music, the service also extensively uses expert-curated playlists to serve up suggestions.

Amazon Music Unlimited

Amazon Music Unlimited is a premium music subscription service featuring tens of millions of songs and thousands of expert-programmed playlists and stations. With Amazon Music Unlimited, you can listen to any song, anytime, anywhere, on all your devices – smartphone, tablet, PC/Mac, Fire TV, and Alexa-enabled devices like Amazon Echo.

Tens of millions of songs with new releases from today's most popular artists. Listen ad-free with unlimited skips. Download for offline listening.

Some sources from https://www.lifewire.com/best-online-music-services-for-streaming-songs-2438823

How to download MP3 from Apple Music

As a streaming service, the songs downloaded from Apple Music can only work during the time you subscribe the Apple Music. After you cancel the Apple Music subscription, even you have downloaded the music songs, you can’t play them because of the DRM.

Because of the DRM, you can't play the Apple Music on your MP3 player, or burn them to CD and so on.

Referral reading: Pros and Cons of Apple Music

Here we will talk a solution to download MP3 format from Apple Music.

What you need to do is just download the Apple Music songs you want to convert, and then use Macsome iTunes Converter to do the other things.

Quick Guide to use the iTunes Converter to help you get Apple Music MP3 files

First, go to download and install the iTunes Converter on your PC, run it.

If you are a Mac user, please download the iTunes Converter for Mac version.

Second, click the button Add, you can choose the different iTunes library to add the audio files to convert.

Third, click Setting button to set the output format and output path before the conversion as your need.

Finally, click the Convert button to start converting.

Now when it finished the conversion, you can play the unprotected MP3 music songs wherever as you like.

How to convert Audiobook AAX to MP3 on Mac

You know that all purchased Audiobooks are AA or AAX protected formats. There are full with limitations that you can’t play or listen to Audiobooks on any devices as you like.

If you want to listen to them on a new audio player, you will find it won’t work unless you can authorize them at first.

Have you ever thought of converting these AAX audiobooks to MP3 format, and then you can play these converted MP3 audiobooks without limitation any longer?

You can try  Macsome Audio Book Converter , which can convert kinds of iTunes AA / AAX AudioBooks to MP3, AAC format, and split these big audiobooks to small pieces with chapter kept.

Step-by-step guide to convert AAX to MP3 format.

If you have purchased one Audiobook, make sure that you have authorized it to your computer.

Step 1, go to free download the latest version of Macsome Audio Book Converter,  and then install and run it. The software will load all the playable audiobooks from the iTunes Books library automatically.

Step 2. Click Profile button and select the required profile in Output File Format drop-down list. You can also click the Macsome AudioBook Converter menu and select Preferences to customize the Output Settings by clicking Choose... to set the destination.

Step 4. Click the Convert button and then the selected files will be listed in the window that pops up. And the Status will keep updating the status of the files until that the conversion finished.

After the conversion is done, you can play the converted MP3 or AAC files wherever you like.

You can also know more about AudioBook AAX to MP3 Converter for Mac.

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How to convert WAV to MP3.

How to convert M4P to MP3

How to convert AAC to MP3.

Christmas is coming, which music is your favorite for Xmas

Christmas is nearly coming. Would you like to play or listen to some Christmas songs to enjoy the hoiday for better.

Here collect some classic Christmas songs, you will find one to your taste and like it. If it is necessary, i will show the order link.

'White Christmas' – Bing Crosby

It can be easy to forget the true meaning of Christmas. But, when you're nogged out of your mind this year, try and picture a stable, with animals, shepherds, Santa, Cliff Richard. Look, here's Jimmy Stewart from 'It's A Wonderful Life', Twiggy from the M&S adverts and, er… Mr Blobby. The truth is the power of Christmas nostalgia itself is greater than the real memories. Hence, all of us can hark back with Bing on this Irving Berlin-penned '40s number to a white Christmas just like the ones we used to know, even if our true past is full of crushing disappointments (December 25, 1993 – no Hornby train set). It's a feeling that is tenuous and transient, yes, but also entirely wonderful.

'All I Want For Christmas Is You' – Mariah Carey

It's not the best-selling Christmas anthem (that’s Bing at number five) and heck, it didn't even make it to Number One in the UK, but Mariah tops our list of the greatest ever festive songs for one good reason – it's catchier than a Christmas cold. Originally released in 1994, this selfless plea to be with a loved one has everything: sleigh bells, pop hooks, the right balance of schmaltz and soul, and uplifting vibes strong enough to launch a jump-jet.

'Merry Xmas Everybody' – Slade

Noddy Holder and his troupe of platform-wearers continue to blight our television screens each December with their frightening fashion sense. There's a reason for that, of course. It's the joyful simplicity of 1973's 'Merry Xmas Everybody', which is guaranteed to inject that euphoric, slightly drunken, Christmas-love vibe into the festive season.

'Santa Claus' – The Sonics

This super-charged '60s garage rock tune reveals Santa for the nihilistic, no-nonsense ball-breaker he truly is. Lead singer Gerry Roslie drawls a list of Christmas requests (including a 'twangy guitar' and 'cute little honey'). To which Santa responds: 'Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing'. What a badman.

'Must Be Santa' – Bob Dylan

The 2009 release of Bob Dylan's festive charity album, 'Christmas In The Heart', was somewhat puzzling – but the song and accompanying video for 'It Must Be Santa' proved that it was all just good fun for a good cause. A rip-roaring, bellows-pumping, call and response number, it's made all the more entertaining for hearing such gleeful lyrics sung in that trademark 40-a-day snarl.

Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms

Following its release in 1957, this rockabilly ditty topped the Christmas charts five years in a row, making it a veritable holiday classic even by the early '60s. Today it retains a towering presence in the Christmas canon, as synonymous with the holiday as tinsel and paper crowns.

'River' – Joni Mitchell

Right from the opening piano chords ('Jingle Bells' gone bittersweet) you know this is going to be a Christmas song with a difference. 'Tis the season, but Joni's feeling blue: she’s lost her baby (maybe Graham Nash) and all she wants to do is skate away, but that's not easy when you're spending Christmas in sunny California. It's as painful and pitiful as anything she ever recorded. Happy Christmas?

'Wonderful Christmas Time' – Paul McCartney

Good old Macca. Whereas Lennon could be relied upon to make impressive political statements (when he wasn't laying about in bed all day), McCartney is the master of the charmingly naïve pop opus. This little ditty isn't going to shake up your festive paradigm, but it won't half stick in your head.

'Last Christmas' – Wham!

There are so many winning elements to Wham!'s 1984 smash that its status as a solid gold Christmas staple – covered by such diverse talents as Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Crazy Frog – is forever guaranteed. A ballad of doomed romance, it features sleighbells and synths, plus some truly memorable knitwear in the video. But what really sets ‘Last Christmas’ apart is George Michael’s heart-on-sleeve delivery: his genuine heartbreak horror (‘My God! I thought you were someone to rely on’) and wistful, sexy whispers. The words ‘Merry Christmas’ never sounded so sultry. And that’s what makes this song so very special (special).

'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' – Darlene Love

This song is cursed. It entered the world in 1963 (as part of 'A Christmas Gift for You') the same day that President Kennedy left it, and was withdrawn soon after. Years later, its producer Phil Spector was convicted of murder. Still feeling festive? Despite the horrific associations, it's impossible to keep your cockles cool once this galloping soulful sleigh ride gets going. In typical Spector style, 'Christmas' is the sound of a huge group of people singing and playing their hearts out in one take. It radiates fellowship, community and togetherness and still manages to shine brighter than the star of Bethlehem.

Source from: http://macsome.com/news/christmas-classic-songs.html

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Apple Music's latest exclusive - 808: The Movie

Apple was clear from the jump that it had bigger plans for its streaming service than just audio. Today, the Apple Music subscribers get an exclusive look a music-focused documentary: 808: The Movie. We first learned about the film that chronicles the history of the iconic 1980s drum machine back in 2014 and it was set to hit theaters last year. It debuted at SXSW in 2015, but had yet to see a wider release.

Referral reading: Pros and Cons of Apple Music

808: The Film is directed by Alexander Dunn with You Know Studios and Atlantic Records' own Atlantic Films teaming up for the production. Narrated by Beats 1's Zane Lowe, the film takes a deep dive into music history with commentary from Afrika Bambaataa, Beastie Boys, Questlove, Rick Rubin, Lil Jon, Diplo, Phil Collins and many others. As you might expect, there's also a soundtrack on which some of those names make a second appearance. Both the film and its audio counterpart are streaming on Apple Music starting today.

If you're not an Apple Music subscriber, the documentary is available for pre-order on iTunes for $17 and is slated to release on December 16th. Vinyl versions of the soundtrack and several other bundle options are also available from the Warner Music Store. For a brief look at what you can expect from the full-length film, watch the official trailer down below. Meanwhile, that Cash Money documentary that was supposed to stream on Apple Music this fall has yet to be released.

Source from: https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/09/apple-music-808-the-movie-now-streaming/

You may be like to read:

How to bypass Apple Music DRM.

How to move Apple Music to CD card

How to stream Apple Music on PS4

Apple Music attracts 20 million subscribers in 18 months

Apple Music is continuing to pick up subscribers at a strong pace, as the company confirms to Billboard that the streaming service has crossed the milestone of 20 million paying subscribers. Apple said it had 17 million subscribers three months ago, 13 million in April, and 11 million in February. Spotify is still significantly ahead with over 40 million users, but Apple Music has only been available for a year and a half.

Referral reading: Pros and Cons of Apple Music.

Over 50 percent of Apple Music users are outside the US, and over 60 percent of them haven’t bought anything on the iTunes store in 12 months or more; Apple services SVP Eddy Cue says that "the vast majority are new customers." Apple Music saw a major revamp alongside iOS 10 this fall.

“Of course we want more and we want it to go faster — we’re hungry!" Cue adds. "We can’t forget that, as an industry, we still have very few music subscribers. There are billions of people listening to music and we haven’t even hit 100 million subscribers. There's a lot of growth opportunity."

Source from: http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/6/13864294/apple-music-subscriber-number-eddy-cue

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Remove Apple Music DRM

Move Apple Music to SD card.

50% discount for Singapore student plan?

Before the proliferation of streaming — and even the Internet — access to music by students, many of whom surviving on allowance money, was limited.

Ask any 40-year-old now and they'll regale you stories about sliding over a few dollars to a music store clerk in the 80s, and getting a decent cassette with a custom playlist in return. Or just, saving up for weeks to buy a CD. Fast forward to 2016 and streaming has allowed the kind of access they wouldn't have been able to fathom.

Apple Music, taking the first step in Singapore, has announced a discounted plan for students to access Apple Music, costing them only SG$4.98 a month — half the usual cost of SG$9.90. 

Referral reading:   Play Apple Music on Walkman with ease, iPhone 7 Plus Apple Music without limitations.

This is the newest initiative by the music streaming app, following chief rival app Spotify's announcement of combined family plans (which Apple Music also offers) and special privileges for Singtel subscribers.

With the streaming field more competitive than ever, Apple Music's decision has put them ahead with the demographic group which embraces streaming the most.

However, the discount is only applicable to certain local colleges and universities, which means students in polytechnics, ITEs, junior colleges and primary/secondary schools are not eligible yet. 

Find out more info on Apple Music's student plan here.

Provided by Apple, here's the list of the current crop of schools recognized for the plan:

Source from https://www.bandwagon.asia/articles/students-apple-music-singapore

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This December 2016 Top 10 music albums on iTunes

Apple Music student pricing comes to over 20 new countries

How to share Apple Music files without Apple Music Membership

You know that  With a Family Membership to Apple Music, families of up to six people can enjoy all of the benefits of Apple Music.

Family Sharing is very good. It makes it easy for up to six people in your family to share each other’s iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases without sharing accounts. Pay for family purchases with the same credit card and approve kids’ spending right from a parent’s device. Share photos, a family calendar, and more to help keep everyone connected. And with an Apple Music family membership, up to six people can get full access to Apple Music, too.

Think about that, if your family is a large family more than six people？ How to use Apple Music sharing better? Two sharing?

Have you ever thought of removing Apple Music's FairPlay DRM and convert them to unprotected MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A, and so on.

Macsome iTunes Converter is the tool to deal with the puzzle. What you need to do, is just following the next guide to get the goal.

Quick guide to convert Apple Music files to MP3 and remove DRM.

Step 1: Install Macsome iTunes Converter and run it.

Tips: Download iTunesConverter.dmg by clicking http://www.macsome.com/iTunesConverter.dmg.

Step 2. Load Apple Music files to convert.

Click Add button and choose the Music library and add the files you want to convert.

Step 3. Click Macsome iTunes Converter Menu, and in the drop-down list, choose Preferences, turn to Advanced to set the output format.

Step 4: Click Convert button to start removing DRM from Apple Music.

After the conversion, you can share the converted and unprotected Music files with any family member as you like. All the DRM of the Apple Music files have been removed.

Apple Music student pricing comes to over 20 new countries

Apple today rolled out the student discount tier of Apple Music to over 20 new countries around the globe. As noted by The Financial Post, Apple Music's student discount offering is now available in Canada, Italy, Japan, and 22 other countries. With today's new additions, the tier is available in over 30 countries in total.

Apple Music's student pricing has been available in the United States Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Denmark for a while now, but today's countries are all new.

The student tier of Apple Music allows those enrolled in education to receive a discounted price for the streaming music service. For instance, in the United States the student tier runs just $4.99 per month.

The full list of new countries can be seen below:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• Chile
• Colombia
• Finland
• France
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• Thailand
• United Arab Emirates

Apple uses a third-party service called UNiDAYS to verify a student’s eligibility for the student tier. The service confirms that a student is enrolled in an accredited university before allowing them to pay the student pricing. Alternatively, students can use their school email address or campus WiFi to automatically be granted access to the student pricing tier.

While Apple Music was rumored to be receiving a price cut across the board a few weeks ago, that hasn't come to fruition and was perceived with skepticism at the time. For now, it seems as if Apple Music’s pricing is set in stone, but at $4.99, the student tier of the service is hard to beat.

Source from https://9to5mac.com/2016/11/29/apple-music-student-pricing/

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How to creat CD from downloaded Apple Music files

Someone maybe find that they can't burn downloaded Apple Music files to CD? Even they are subscribers of Apple Music.

This is  big problem to solve? Here we will talk how to creating CD from downloaded Apple Music with the help of Macsome iTunes Converter, which is all-in-one iTunes Audio files Dealer and helper.

When you want to convert some iTunes Audio files,  use Macsome iTunes Converter.

When you want to convert purchased Audiobooks, use it.

 When you want to remove the FairPlay DRM, use it.

Steps to Burn Apple Music files to CD

To Creat CDs from Apple Music files, you need two parts to get it. 

Part 1. Remove the limitation of Apple Music and convert to MP3 or other

Part 2. Use iTunes to burn the converted  MP3 to CD.

Part 1. Remove the limitation of Apple Music and convert to MP3 or other

First of all, free download the latest version of iTunes Converter, install and run it.

Step 1. Click Add button to import the music files from Music library of iTunes.

Step 2. Click iTunes Converter Menu – Preferences – Advanced to set the output audio format, here we use the default one: Same as source.

Step 3. Click Convert button to start conversion.

Part 2. Use iTunes to burn the converted  MP3 to CD.

Now you can following the iTunes burning guide to burn the convert MP3 files to CD.

Apple Music will crank up the tunes for users of Ola's ridesharing service in India

 Apple wants to bring Apple Music to as many places as possible, and to help reach that goal, the company has buddied up with Indian ride-hailing service Ola, which will now offer music to passengers as part of the ridesharing experience.

Under the new partnership, Apple Music will be available to passengers through a new service called Ola Play, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

More:  How to Convert offline Apple Music and play on iPhone7 Plus

Apple isn’t the only new partner for Ola — the company also partnered with the likes of Sony, Qualcomm, Fynd, and Audio Compass to help beef up its in-car audio offerings.

So how will the system work? According to Ola, passengers will have access to a tablet that will offer a range of infotainment systems, including Apple Music. Alternatively, users can download the Ola Play app and control the infotainment straight from their smartphone.

“Cars were initially built for the driver,” said Ola CEO Bhavish Agarwal at a news conference, according to the Los Angeles Times report. “But with ridesharing, the control needs to be there for the passenger, and Ola Play works along that.”

Not only is Ola making other partnerships but this is also Apple’s second deal with a ridesharing service. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced a hefty $1 billion investment in Didi Chuxing, a Chinese company. According to Cook, the partnership will Apple get some insight into the Chinese market.

It’s largely thought that Apple itself is hoping to make inroads into the automotive industry. While most rumors indicate that the company has ditched plans to release a car of its own, the company may still be working on the underlying self-driving technology that could help cars drive on their own.

Source from:  http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/apple-music-ola-partnership/

Drake Channels Taylor Swift For New Apple Music Ad

Drake is Taylor Swift's biggest new fan, if Apple Music is to be believed.

(Referral reading: Play Taylor Swift's 1989 Album on MP3 player )

Remember Taylor Swift’s Apple Music commercial, when an overzealous T. Swift face-planted while listening to Jumpman by Drake and Future?

The Canadian rapper has returned the favor while listening to Bad Blood in his ad for the streaming music service, which debuted during Sunday's American Music Awards.

With lip syncing that could win any Battle and dance moves that are totally GIF-worthy, Drake shows “no mercy” during his workout.

Naturally, the artist with parody Twitter accounts dedicated to his softer side starts belting out the lyrics when we're reminded how “sad” it is “to think about the good times.”

Whether Swift wanted to get us thinking about if they’re really a couple or not, she shared the ad and her enthusiasm for the promo on Instagram, writing “YES” and using the thumbs up and muscle emojis.

Which should make this struggle easier to deal with, right, Drake?

Source from http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/11/21/drake-apple-music-taylor-swift/94210672/

Reliable source shares details about three new iPhone 8 models launching next year

Apple is expected to introduce a major iPhone redesign next year, according to multiple reports, and a reliable source brings more details about Apple’s future iPhone plans. Specifically, an Apple insider says the company is expected to introduce three iPhone 8 models next year spread across two familiar sizes. 

DON’T MISS: Convert offline Apple Music and play on iPhone7 Plus

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 8 will come in 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions — therefore, the same sizes Apple used for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7.

Kuo, who often comes forward with accurate insights into Apple’s future plans, says that Apple will use both LCD and OLED screens for the 2017 iPhone. The 4.7-inch iPhone 8 and 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus will have LCD displays. But Apple is also going to introduce a mew 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus version that’ll feature an OLED screen.

Finally, both Plus models will have dual lens rear cameras, but the 4.7-inch 2017 iPhone will still have a single lens main camera.

“We look for new 2017F iPhones to come in three models: one OLED model, and two TFTLCD models with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch display,” Kuo wrote in a note seen by MacRumors. “We believe the OLED and 5.5-inch TFTLCD iPhones will feature dual-camera. Based on this prediction, our forecast of dual camera adoption rate in new 2017F iPhone models is revised up from 30-40% to 65-75%. We view this increase as favoring Largan’s sales and profit momentum as it is the exclusive supplier of wide-angle and telephoto lens. It also bodes well for Apple’s dual camera software ecosystem.”

Apple is also rumored to be removing the home button from the iPhone next year and placing the fingerprint sensor under the screen, in what will almost be an all-screen iPhone design. Kuo did not address the iPhone 8’s design in this new report.

Source from http://bgr.com/2016/11/15/iphone-8-rumors-display-specs/

Macsome.com home site url: http://macsome.com/

How to convert offline Apple Music to FLAC format

FLAC ,short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, is an audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio, and is also the name of the reference codec implementation. Digital audio compressed by its algorithm can typically be reduced to 50–60% of its original size and decompress to an identical copy of the original audio data.(source from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC)

When there are some this and that cases you need to convert them to FLAC format, Macsome iTunes Converter just thought of this，and newly added FLAC output fortmat to the latest released version.

First, go to download and install the latest version of iTunes Converter on your PC, run it.

Please make sure that your iTunes Converter is the latest version, or you can open the software and click "Menu - Check for Updates" to check and update to the latest version.

Second, click the Add button, you can choose the different iTunes library to add the audio files.

And select the file you want, click "OK", and then all files you selected will be listed on the main window.

Third, click Setting icon to set the output format and output path before the conversion as your need.

Finally, click the Convert button to start the process.

After the conversion, you have converted Apple Music to FLAC, and you can play the converted FLAC audio tracks on your car, if you have cancel your Apple Music.

Referral link: Apple Music to FLAC.

How to compare M4B VS M4A VS M4R

M4B is a file extension for an MPEG-4 part 14 audio layer audio book container file format used by iTunes. An M4B file is very similar to an M4A file but specified for audio books.

M4B files support metadata for chapters and bookmarking on supporting players and most commonly uses AAC (Advanced Audio Codec).

M4A is a file extension for an audio file encoded with advanced audio coding (AAC) which is a lossy compression. M4A was generally intended as the successor to MP3, which had not been originally designed for audio only but was layer III in an MPEG 1 or 2 video files. M4A stands for MPEG 4 Audio.

A file with the M4R file extension is an iTunes Ringtone file. They can be created and transferred to an iPhone in order to use custom ringtone sounds.Custom iTunes Ringtone files in the M4R format are actually just .M4A files that have been renamed to .M4R. The file extensions are different only to differentiate their purposes.

How to compare M4B VS M4A VS M4R

A file with the M4B file extension is an MPEG-4 Audio Book file. They're often seen used by iTunes to store audio books.

The M4A audio format is basically identical to M4B except that those types of files are used for music instead of audio books.

Apple's iPhone uses the MPEG-4 Audio format for ringtones too, but those files are instead saved with the M4R extension.

Simple Steps to Convert Apple Music files

Macsome iTunes Converter is always used to convert any Apple Music files to M4B format for Windows and Mac users. It is an all-in-one iTunes Music and Apple Music and Audio books Converter.

With it, you can easily convert any protected M4A, M4B, Apple Music, purchased Audio books to unprotected MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV and FLAC format. Meanwhile you remove the FairPlay DRM as well.

First of all, please go to free download the latest version of Macsome iTunes Converter for Windows, install and launch the software.

Step 1. click the Add button to select the audio files from the Music or other library.

After you choose the music files, click "OK", and then all the audio tracks files you selected would be listed on the main window.

Step 2. Choose M4B as the output format by clicking the Setting icon. Like this, you can set the output path before the conversion as your need.

Step 3. Click "Convert" button.

The conversion will be finished with a minute. Now you can play the converted and unprotected M4B audio tracks wherever you like.

Apple Music's Rumored Price Cut?

According to a new report from Digital Music News, Apple is considering a price cut to its Apple Music streaming service. The report claims that Apple is considering a price cut as steep as 20 percent, which would allow the company to better compete with services like Spotify and Amazon Music. 

(Referral Reading: Apple Music to MP3, M4A, M4B, FLAC)

With a 20 percent discount, the single-person Apple Music plan would come in at $7.99 per month, which is $2 less than the current $9.99 price point. The family package, which allows for up to six people, currently comes in at $14.99, but with the price cut would come in at $12.99. The $4.99 student tier would remain the same.

Here’s how the new plans would look compared to the old ones:

Current Rate:

• Single-person rate: $9.99 a month
• Family rate: $14.99 a month
• Student rate: $4.99 a month

Rumored discounted rate:

• Regular rate: $7.99 a month
• Family package: $12.99 a month
• Student rate: $4.99 a month

Today’s report claims that the price cut could start out as a holiday promotional discount, with those subscribing prior to Christmas seeing the lower prices. It’s not entirely clear if the lower prices would extend past the holiday season, but Digital Music News seems to imply that they would.

Amazon recently announced its new Music Unlimited Service, which comes in at $7.99 per month for Prime users and $3.99 for users with an Amazon Echo device. Spotify has also offered heavy discounts to its services.

Today’s report should be taken with a grain of salt, though. Digital Music News hasn’t had the best track record this year. The news outlet reported that Apple was planning on ending iTunes Music downloads, which Apple itself denied. The move would also contradict Apple’s general attitude of not competing in terms of prices for its services.

A price drop for Apple Music would certainly help those on the fence pull the plug and subscribe, but Apple would be sure to not have to anger artists and labels in the process of cutting prices, especially considering the initial drama surrounding Apple Music’s three month free trial.

Source from: https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/31/apple-music-price-cut/