In a new update, Apple Music is allowing users to transfer playlists directly from Spotify and other streaming services. The new tool, now available in the United States, raises the stakes in the streaming music battle.
Through a partnership with SongShift, Apple Music allows users to move saved music, albums and playlists from other streaming apps such as Spotify. The transfer is completed inside iPhone settings under Settings > Apps > Music > Transfer Music from Other Music Services.
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The feature was first tested in New Zealand and Australia in May, and it is now also available in Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Sound quality advantage
Those who have made the switch are sharing online that Apple Music offers noticeably better sound quality.
“If you switch from Spotify to Apple Music, you will be stunned by how much your music no longer sounds like it comes from the bottom of an aluminum can,” one user wrote.
Apple Music includes features that Spotify does not. One is called Lossless, which preserves the uncompromised audio of studio recordings, offering higher-quality sound.
Another feature, Dolby Atmos, delivers music in a multi-dimensional, immersive listening experience.
The timing behind Apple’s move
The timing of Apple’s new tool is notable. It follows a summer when several indie artists removed their catalogs from Spotify after learning of CEO Daniel Ek’s ties to military investments.
Ek cofounded Prima Materia, a tech investment firm that backs a company building AI-powered military drones. According to the Financial Times, the firm made another significant investment even before Russia’s 2021 invasion of Ukraine.
The most recent band to leave is Hotline TNT, who joins King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu and others who have left Spotify in protest.
In a statement on Instagram, Hotline TNT wrote that “the company that bills itself as the steward of all recorded music has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that it does not align with the band’s values in any way. A cooler world is possible.”
Spotify’s own changes
Meanwhile, Spotify has rolled out new features of its own. Users can now share music with friends through direct messages, with some online users questioning whether it could also serve as a dating app.
“Messages also open up new opportunities for artists, authors and creators — more users can spread the word about an artist’s track or creator’s podcast with their friends and family, helping drive discovery,” a press release read.
The platform is also requiring “certain users” to verify their age with a facial age check.
Spotify still has a larger number of active users, reporting more than 696 million users as compared to Apple Music’s estimated 95 million.
