The series will begin with Tenille Townes and Carrie Underwood.
Although Apple is accustomed to creating exclusive songs, it is now utilizing them to more directly compete with its rivals. Similar to Spotify Sessions, the business has started an Apple Music Sessions series that features live performances from well-known artists at corporate venues. Unsurprisingly, Apple is using its technical muscle to entice you in. Every song is available in spatial audio, and if listening isn't enough, footage of the concerts are also available.
The inaugural sessions are geared toward country music lovers, with Tenille Townes and Carrie Underwood performing hits and covers in Apple's Nashville studio. Future releases will include artists like Ronnie Dunn and Ingrid Andress. Don't worry if you prefer live music without a twang if you prefer other genres; there will be releases for them as well.
The tactic used here is clear-cut. This is all about providing you a reason to either move to the service or stay hooked, just like with Apple's other exclusives, which range from early iTunes Originals to contemporary spatial audio offers. This time, the firm isn't being coy about its primary rival; it hopes to persuade some Apple Music subscribers to Spotify or at the very least prevent them from leaving.
Apple Music continues to compete with its rivals by releasing a fairly derivative version of Spotify Sessions called Apple Music Sessions.
These are, in essence, live performances that are only available to Apple Music users. The initial performances are now accessible and feature sets from Tenille Townes and Carrie Underwood, two well-known country music artists who are compatible with Spatial Audio assuming you have the necessary gear. The recording sessions taking place at the business's new, "state-of-the-art studios" in Nashville may have had an impact on the choice of the opening genre.
With only three songs each, neither of the current Apple Music Sessions has very lengthy setlists. Both songs have a cover: "Mama, I'm Coming Home" by Ozzy Osbourne for Underwood and "At Last" by Etta James for Townes. Each playlist also includes a video of each of the three songs in case you want to watch the musicians live on stage.
This may seem quite familiar to readers of a certain age, and not just because of the aforementioned Spotify Sessions. In fact, the 2006 debut of iTunes Sessions (opens in new tab) offered downloads of exclusive live performances by musicians. The albums typically had eight or nine tracks, and artists like My Morning Jacket, Imagine Dragons, Gorillaz, Kelly Clarkson, and Ellie Goulding all released one.
But the world has changed, and whereas iTunes was primarily focused on promoting paid digital downloads, Apple Music is an all-you-can-eat streaming service. In light of this, shorter live performances may be more acceptable, even though the artists' fans undoubtedly would like longer ones.
