@gabriel__lewis I always wanted to improve their existing Android app for apple music, its the most buggy app right now, but alas the API is only for apple.
All aboard the hype train! ;)
In reality this is nothing more than a slight marketing push/update, I'd guess for "Apple Music Toolbox" (a tool/extension of their affiliate program).
The "API" they speak of is functionality that has existed since iOS 4 – the ability to 1) read the user's music library (this used to be just local content, but expanded to iCloud Match when that came out, and Apple Music on account of it sharing the same services architecture (Beats is no more – the team and licensing/biz was bought, most of the tech thrown away)) 2) queue up/play songs, either with a dedicated player for the dev's app, or by sharing an instance of a player with the built in music app, thus controlling the built in music app.
Unfortunately the only pieces of this that arent 7 years old, are "based on a song ID" (this means "Store" ID, which is specific to Apple Music's architecture, and is region specific.. vs say, ISRC), and "create a new playlist" (I believe pre-iOS 9.3 library was read only). Actually there is one other new feature, but they don't even mention it – saving Apple Music tracks to your library, another "write" feature.
One can use the "iTunes Search [Web] API" (about as old as iTunes itself) in combination with these frameworks for reading library/playing music on device, quite clunkily I must add, to get close(r) to what one would call an Apple Music API, but in reality it falls pretty short. A real Apple Music API, as the Spotify Web API and SoundCloud REST API (neither of which I have particular love for.. read: tearing my hair out) mirror its service offerings in a single package, would need to cover managing playlists/playing specific tracks, but also endpoints/features for getting the users recommended ("For You"/"New") content/breakdowns, liking/rating songs and albums, sharing playlists, as well as baked in proper Apple Music oriented search functionality, etc. etc... maybe even access to Apple Music Radio and/or Connect features – aka all or at least most of the features that make Apple Music what it is, otherwise there's 1) little room for experimentation and/or heavy, useful integration 2) zero way to, as one commenter asks, make a better/replacement Apple Music app.
Also, I mean.. just pedantically, even if the above features were exposed in some way, if it were the way they've done the it so far of tacking little features onto existing built in iOS frameworks, that wouldn't really be an "Apple Music API." That would just more or less be the built in Apple Music architecture for iOS exposing more of itself for limited use by *other (3rd party) iOS apps*. What about getting access to any of the above information/functionality on Mac, let alone via JS/REST on a website, or god forbid, an Android app?
Well, that went on. Hopefully informative. ;)
@rrhoover Apple Music definitely seemed to be a rushed release with the lack of API, Sonos support and major artists at launch. Good to see they're finally becoming a more viable option.
@rrhoover My guess would be that one reason is because they have close to no independent artists using it. When you have none of the massive number of independents uploading music or promoting it, it kills your whole balance. In this day and age, you simply can't afford to ignore the independent artists. Doing so then eats into your listenership numbers because you're essentially recycling the same listeners of more mainstream material, thereby stagnating your overall growth.
Why now? I think the overall reason is that music is getting tighter. It's getting more and more expensive to license content and pay royalties (especially for major label material), and having a "walled-garden" is an obsolete concept. Having people choose one service over another is already a challenge, but not having an open-sourced listening and creation experience? That's just not conducive long term. We'll see how this continues to evolve over time, as I believe it will.
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