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You are here: MacNN Forums > News > Mac News > Apple Music launch cripples Home Sharing, alters iTunes Match

Apple Music launch cripples Home Sharing, alters iTunes Match
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NewsPoster
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Jul 2, 2015, 08:46 AM
 
The heralded Apple Music service launch has accompanied a merger of iTunes Match with Apple's new streaming service. However, possibly to appease record labels, some significant changes have been made to iTunes functionality, including the removal of Home Sharing for music on the iPhone and iPad, as well as substituting iTunes Matched songs downloaded to a device with DRM-laden versions.

First off, iTunes Match as a discrete service still exists -- but the version included in Apple Music is slightly different. Current iTunes match customers are still able to download music either uploaded or matched to Apple-hosted content. Music downloaded for replay in iTunes Match for Apple Music subscribers that has been matched to iTunes content is now DRM-protected. Furthermore, if original copies of music that the user has ripped are deleted, the downloaded copies from Apple servers are also DRM protected, and no longer available for the user to play back should iTunes Music or iTunes Match be cancelled.

Subscribers to iTunes Match on its own without Apple Music are still receiving non-DRM protected music, however. Other than a boost to 100,000 uploaded songs with Apple Music's implementation of the feature, the future of the standalone service is in question.

Additionally, Home Sharing of music regardless of source other than to an Apple TV has been excised completely in iOS 8.4 - but home sharing of videos has not been altered. it is not yet known why this feature has been omitted other than the theorized terms of Apple Music deal with the music industry. The loss is mitigated somewhat for Apple Music subscribers having essentially the same functionality through iTunes Match.
     
pottymouth
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Jul 2, 2015, 09:11 AM
 
Ugh. Once that 25K limit is increased I'll be good, but my workaround for getting my music on the go with iTunes Match has been to run two libraries: one full library with well over 25K tracks, and one painstakingly whittled down to 24,900ish tracks to connect iTunes Match. When I'm on my own wi-fi I can hit all my music via home sharing. So, thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to NOT update iTunes on my media server without doing some experimenting first.
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Jul 2, 2015, 09:23 AM
 
Yeah, I think why I haven't run into problems with Match even last week is because my media server is a few versions behind. We're running some more tests.
     
Drash
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Jul 2, 2015, 09:41 AM
 
Spent a good few hours since Music released trying to get (music) home sharing working and came to the same conclusion. Didn't find anything with web searches. Nice to see I'm not going mad. Not so good those hours are gone forever - cheers Apple. 30+ years Apple user getting more disillusioned as time goes by.
     
Drash
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Jul 2, 2015, 09:42 AM
 
Woah - joined 2001. Doesn't time fly!
     
daqman
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Jul 2, 2015, 11:05 AM
 
I'm glad I still have the big box of CDs but I'd hate to have to rip them all again. Since iTunes had (has maybe but not used for a long time) the ability to auto-rip a CD and add it to the library all of my CDs eventually were ripped and consigned to a storage box. The thought that Apple would swap the ripped versions for DRM'd ones seems particularly insidious. Most of my current "toys" are Apple products but that doesn't mean it will always be that way. I'm looking at a 30+ year collection of music so many thousands of dollars.

Apple seem to be constantly breaking the golden rule : "Don't mess with my stuff!!"
Beware of geeks bearing Gifs
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Jul 2, 2015, 11:27 AM
 
They don't swap unless you deleted the original file.
     
mr100percent
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Jul 2, 2015, 12:40 PM
 
Most of this stems from the (poorly explained) difference between Match & Music.
When a file is matched against Match, you're proving you own it so that you can later download it again from Match. When you later download it from match, you receive the same thing you'd get from the store - 256k AAC which is watermarked but not protected. (You can prove which account downloaded the file, but it's not restricted from playback on anything).
When you match a file against Music, you're proving you own it so that you can later stream this file even if it's not enrolled in Music. Which is to say, if the publisher/artist have decided not to opt into streaming, only people who have purchased the track can stream it.
Now here's the big difference - when you download a track from Music, it's still part of the streaming service - just like offline tracks in Spotify etc. It's essentially just cached so you can play it without an internet connection - great for listening without eating into our 3g, but not to be confused with actually owning the tracks.
Tracks you download from Match are yours - tracks you download from Music are just on loan as a convenience. This is why Match still exists - they're not the same thing.
     
Charles Martin
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Jul 2, 2015, 12:41 PM
 
Too early to tell, but I suspect Apple will make some adjustments to this area in the future. In the meantime, folks, there's a feedback button built into iTunes: I suggest you use it.
Charles Martin
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ricardogf
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Jul 2, 2015, 01:01 PM
 
That's just part of the clusterfuck disaster created by Cook, the world's best former COO and NOTHING else. A fugly, clunky AWatch; a totally useless AMusic aka Ping 2; a Beats purchase that has never been justified; terrible supply chain issues with new devices like the rMB; long-standing bugs in OS X and iOS; and now this.

Cook should be ousted and become a social activist - that he can very well, as he is now quickly moving towards destroying the trust SJ built for Apple after his return...what a train wreck.
Mac OS X: Because Windows Sucks
     
Flying Meat
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Jul 2, 2015, 05:58 PM
 
Don't you have a Chromebook and an Android phone to go buy, er something?
     
bobolicious
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Jul 2, 2015, 09:52 PM
 
Moving from rock stable functional snow leopard to the bag of hurt - no sack of hurt of Yosemite has made me ask what Apple is pursuing - my email has not worked properly in 4 maintenance updates (still substantially dysfunctional despite rebuilding & archive install) and basic things like playlist volume control in iTunes are suddenly hidden 'by design' - I have to ask if Apple has simply run out of legitimate improvements to make and is now hunting for churn to justify developer revenue work?

Adding a music service great, but don't unilaterally remove core music sharing features without choice (not a corporate legal expansive EULA that no layperson can reasonably be expected to read) warning and an alternate option - Windows 7 keeps entering top of mind every time a Mac 'update' appears and I have sent out warnings to all mac users I know to proceed with caution for 10.10.4...

...and at the risk of pointing out the obvious, every incremental 'upgrade' seems to potentially encroach further on individual privacy - until music, downloads were noted, yet now what, when, where one listens may be fair game - insidious, pernicious, a force of nature ? Such dependency at one's own risk when sharing services are revoked without warning? I'm still buying CDs & enjoying the lossless DRM free recording that I consider a legacy of Steve Jobs... And if Apple ever decides to bait & switch that plug, I've still got a 'lossless' CD player, an FM receiver for that archaic thing called RADIO and even <gasp> some vinyl...
( Last edited by bobolicious; Jul 2, 2015 at 10:32 PM. )
     
Charles Martin
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Jul 3, 2015, 02:19 AM
 
I love reading the rose-colored memories of those who NOW think Snow Leopard was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but AT THE TIME were screaming at Apple about the dropping of built-in support for PPC apps and the many, many programs that broke when it first came out ... the memory cheats for some people apparently. Don't believe me? Ask the guys at "Roaring Apps" why and when they started that website ...

My view on Home Sharing is that a big change was made and some things got broke. I expect quite a few of them will get fixed. IOW, this will run like every single time Apple has made big changes over the last 30 years, starting with the way the Mac ruined the Apple II market and destroyed people's investments in that platform and software. If you're shocked by this, you either just got on the Apple rollercoaster or you haven't been paying attention.

Further, Mountain Lion and Mavericks were miles better -- in every respect -- than Snow Leopard ever was. Yosemite, much as it brings a bucketload of great new features, has been genuinely more problematic than any release since Lion -- but Lion was the reason we got Mountain Lion, which was fabulous, and Mavericks, which was even better. I suspect El Capitan will continue the improvements, and that this cycle will look a lot like the earlier 10.0-10.4 cycle, which was followed by the 10.5-10.9 cycle. IOW, this is nothing new except to people with an axe to grind.
Charles Martin
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smacker
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Jul 3, 2015, 08:58 AM
 
@Charles Martin: The rock solid stability is not entirely rose colored. Me and my coworker still work with it daily and we both usually go months without a hitch while having 10 to 15 apps running at all times. I can't recall the last time I had to reboot my machine because of a system failure. It IS very stable and reliable. We never had the problems you mentioned with PPC apps, though.
     
smacker
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Jul 3, 2015, 09:00 AM
 
I'm talking about the stability of Snow Leopard.
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Jul 3, 2015, 09:15 AM
 
Originally Posted by smacker View Post
I'm talking about the stability of Snow Leopard.
I don't completely agree with Charles on this, but SL is only stable on retrospect. At launch, until about 10.6.5, it was crap for stable. 10.6.8, after two years of patching, is good, though.

Rosetta support slain in 10.6 was a big deal, though. Not much of one if you didn't need legacy code running any more.
     
bobolicious
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Jul 3, 2015, 10:03 AM
 
Rosetta (slain after 10.6) indeed was a big deal for many, as was Classic, which I still need on an old Powerbook with IDE SSD for legacy access...

The two MacOS that stand out for me were 10.4.11 & 10.6.8, the former having perhaps the longest stretch between OEM upgrades. Applecare & hardware (esp 10.4 @ 2G powerbooks) not software tended to drive my upgrades in the past...

MacOS 10.4.x ran OEM for 31 months (more than 2.5 years):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS...elease_history

MacOS 10.6.x ran OEM for 24 months:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS...elease_history

Might Apple improve reliability issues simply by:

1) allow & support (applecare) use of older MacOS on new, or at least refurbished hardware. Microsoft only just dropped free support XP (2001), and promises to support W7pro until 2023, with XP compatibility layer...

2) (re)adopt a performance based upgrade cycle, (vs calendar) extending public beta periods & ONLY releasing an OS when feedback has vetted functionality...

Mr. Jobs found the wisdom to end the historically annual hardship of post holiday gifting MacWorld hardware roll outs...

Perhaps Mr. Cook will find the wisdom & sympathy to end the policy driven, annual post back to school & pre holiday gifting MacOS cycles...?

And perhaps MacNN will find the clarity to reassign writers who turn anecdotal opinions into personal 'axe grinding' flames...? Would performance compensated office tech support be a suitable role to foster more sympathy for those in other roles in the trenches...?
     
Mike Wuerthele
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Jul 3, 2015, 12:44 PM
 
And perhaps MacNN will find the clarity to reassign writers who turn anecdotal opinions into personal 'axe grinding' flames...? Would performance compensated office tech support be a suitable role to foster more sympathy for those in other roles in the trenches...?
Nah. The forums are perfect for 'axe grinding.' I don't let him axe grind in an article unless it says "editorial."

Good timetable on the OS releases though. Good perspective.
     
   
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