Over the years, Apple's music-facing ecosystem has branched out and changed here and there. In this FAQ, we'll break down each product skew for easier consumption.
Apple Music (streaming service)
- Apple Music is a subscription-based music streaming service offered by Apple.
- It provides users with access to a vast library of songs, albums, playlists, and curated content for a monthly fee.
- Subscribers can stream music, download songs for offline listening, create playlists, and access exclusive content like Beats 1 radio shows and original programming.
Music app
- The Music app is the native music player and library management application for macOS.
- It replaced iTunes on macOS Catalina and later versions.
- The Music app allows users to organize their music library, purchase and download music from the iTunes Store, subscribe to Apple Music, access their iTunes Match library, create playlists, and more.
iTunes Match
- iTunes Match is a service provided by Apple that allows users to store their entire music library in iCloud.
- It scans your music library and matches songs with high-quality versions from the iTunes Store.
- If a song is not available in the iTunes Store, it uploads the original file to iCloud.
- Once matched or uploaded, users can access their music library on any Apple device associated with their Apple ID.
iTunes Store
- The iTunes Store was an online marketplace operated by Apple where users could purchase and download digital content such as music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more.
- It was accessible through the iTunes app on Mac and Windows computers, as well as through the Music app on iOS devices.
- With the discontinuation of iTunes, the iTunes Store continues to exist as part of the Music, TV, and App Store apps on various Apple devices.
iTunes app
- iTunes was a media player, media library, online radio broadcaster, and mobile device management application developed by Apple Inc.
- It was used to purchase, download, and manage digital music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts.
- However, as of macOS Catalina (released in 2019), iTunes was replaced by separate apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts.
To sum up, Apple Music functions as a music streaming platform, iTunes Match offers music library storage and matching capabilities, the iTunes app (now replaced by distinct applications) previously handled media management and content purchases, the iTunes Store served as the marketplace for digital purchases, and the Music app stands as macOS's built-in music player and library organizer.