Article: Is Apple Hiding The New Beats Music App?

[pjd]

Sorry, not buying the conspiracy theory here. I was able to find and download the app with no trouble. I had more trouble writing this comment than I had finding the app. For some reason, I had to go to the mobile default style in order to be able to add this comment.

 

[from the beats audio, llc. website:]

 

"On the web, we stream in 320kbps MP3 quality audio - industry standard high quality audio for streaming services. A small minority of tracks may not be available for 320, in which case we'll stream in 256kbps. On mobile, you have some options. You can choose to stream in standard quality audio - which is HE-AAC 64kbps. Or you can choose high quality audio, which is 320kbps MP3. Note that streaming in high quality audio uses more mobile data when you're not on wifi. You can also choose to only stream in high quality audio when connected to wifi."

 

I was about to but 10k shares of Beats Audio, llc., but maybe I've missed something about the point of this article, on this website. [revoke when ready]

[maximum kahuna]

No, that does not work. I am now fairly certain that the only way to sign up for Beats Music is do so from one of their mobile apps. Would be nice if they had an OS X or Windows desktop app, but based on how badly they are botching this so far, I won't hold my breath. I guess that for the $14 million Beats paid for MOG, they didn't get the cream of MOG's programming or design staff to come along.

 

Oh well. There are plenty of other free places to discover new music. I just feel bad for all the former MOG subscribers.

 

Go to the log in page, click on the "New here? Try Beats Music Free." Just under the pictures of mobile phones is a prompt to"sign up online." A big PITA to find, but it works. I've been using it in my car and on my laptop and it sounds like MOG. Still not enamored with the site either on my phone or on line. But once I figured out how to get to the Search function, and ignore all the "curating," it has worked OK. More a matter of getting used to something different.

[maximum kahuna]

Well, if you go way back and see what happened when I first signed up, you will see that I never go further than creating a user name and password. They have never taken any info from me aside from name and e-mail address. I assume that when one signs up from the iOS or Android app they ask you for a credit card, etc.--even for the trial. But I don't know, I have not downloaded the app and don't intend to. Their iOS app requires iOS 6 or later, and my first-gen iPad (still going great for my bedtime use!) is stuck on iOS 5.

 

I guess Bill and I are test cases proving that the young folks at Beats have not thought through--or perhaps not even imagined--the experience for someone wanting to sign up for their service with just a computer.

 

Beats has not asked me for any other info other than email address and creating a password. I assume they'll ask after the seven day trial expires.

[Superdad]

Go to the log in page, click on the "New here? Try Beats Music Free." Just under the pictures of mobile phones is a prompt to"sign up online." A big PITA to find, but it works.

 

That's how I have been signing up. I am telling you, it does not work!! I now have three different e-mail accounts and names registered with Beats. But unless one has the mobile app installed somewhere you can not complete the trial sign up or access the web player page for music. The Beats customer support people have acknowledged this. Their suggestion was to borrow a friends phone and sign up with it.

[maximum kahuna]

That's how I have been signing up. I am telling you, it does not work!! I now have three different e-mail accounts and names registered with Beats. But unless one has the mobile app installed somewhere you can not complete the trial sign up or access the web player page for music. The Beats customer support people have acknowledged this. Their suggestion was to borrow a friends phone and sign up with it.

 

 

I believe you. I downloaded the app to my iphone so I haven't had any trouble. I don't use MOG much at home, mostly in the car but it's a shame they're abandoning desk top only users. If they had no desk top site that would be one thing but there's no reason to do so if they allow desktop use for those who have downloaded the mobile app.

[realhifi]

Spotify is looking pretty good right now. They have 320 and seem to have a decent selection. I will probably just switch and try them when Beats stops my MOG subscription.

[wgscott]

No, that does not work. I am now fairly certain that the only way to sign up for Beats Music is do so from one of their mobile apps. Would be nice if they had an OS X or Windows desktop app, but based on how badly they are botching this so far, I won't hold my breath. I guess that for the $14 million Beats paid for MOG, they didn't get the cream of MOG's programming or design staff to come along.

 

Oh well. There are plenty of other free places to discover new music. I just feel bad for all the former MOG subscribers.

 

I'm having the identical experience.

[bobbmd]

That's how I have been signing up. I am telling you, it does not work!! I now have three different e-mail accounts and names registered with Beats. But unless one has the mobile app installed somewhere you can not complete the trial sign up or access the web player page for music. The Beats customer support people have acknowledged this. Their suggestion was to borrow a friends phone and sign up with it.

 

superdad and wgscott: I DID IT-WITHOUT AN IPAD/IPOD/SMARTPHONE- after multiple emails and i have to admit really good service a BM rep took my info and from 'a galaxy,far far away' put my username,email,pw in and i had a webbrowser(googlechrome) connection and a 7day free trial. That said its not the full 'stuff' on osx devices no questions were asked of me those genre 'bubbles' are no where nor is there a 'just for you'-maybe that will come eventually-i can only hope the whole app webpage will be available when i pay and subscribe and i hope they recognize me as a MOG subscriber and i will be able to transfer my MOG playlists. the selections 'look' like the same as MOG ie bob dylan including his covers,the dead,tom waits,leonard cohen but its hard if not impossible to create playlists.the sound is as good as MOG maybe 'better'. dont know how our founder got on he has to have used a hand held device.

i must say their service is unheard of including that 800#but quick connection to an american sounding rep who laughed at my comment that dr dre/ian rogers were smoking with and partying with justine bieber when they 'rolled' this out-worse than ombamacare and i know because as an ol' country doc i am a victim of that also please respond and try what i did bobbmd

[Booster MPS]

Weird. I just logged in and played via my web browser. Are you sure downloading the app isn't just a strong suggestion?

 

Is it possible that they are having issues with certain browsers and have not worked out all the kinks between browsers operating systems? It's no real reason that browsing the web should work for some and does not work for others. I'm waiting a little bit longer for things to work themselves out before trying to service and transitioning.

[wgscott]

I decided to use my iPad (involved a trip to the damn car), registered with that, and then everything works for my free trial via web browser. Then I lost interest and started tooling around with an Applescript.

[findog3103]

Web browser works for me now.

[bobbmd]

Is it possible that they are having issues with certain browsers and have not worked out all the kinks between browsers operating systems? It's no real reason that browsing the web should work for some and does not work for others. I'm waiting a little bit longer for things to work themselves out before trying to service and transitioning.

 

after i was able to use googlechrome as i described above i 'lost' it i think BM had 'issues'

i wasnt able to get on with firefox but was able to get on with safari

BUT you dont get full features ie 'the sentence',the 'genre bubbles',etc on webbrowser

so maybe i'll have to get an ipad so i can get those feature then listen via webbrowser at 320kbps rather than at 68 or128kbps

anyone have any idea on this one

bobbmd

[bobbmd]

I decided to use my iPad (involved a trip to the damn car), registered with that, and then everything works for my free trial via web browser. Then I lost interest and started tooling around with an Applescript.

 

wg: did you get all the FULL FEATURES like chris showed on those snapshots at start of his editorial? ie 'the sentence'. those 'genre bubbles' bobbmd

[Booster MPS]

after i was able to use googlechrome as i described above i 'lost' it i think BM had 'issues'

i wasnt able to get on with firefox but was able to get on with safari

BUT you dont get full features ie 'the sentence',the 'genre bubbles',etc on webbrowser

so maybe i'll have to get an ipad so i can get those feature then listen via webbrowser at 320kbps rather than at 68 or128kbps

anyone have any idea on this one

bobbmd

 

 

wgscott and bobbmd, thanks for the responses and I am glad that the service works via web browser. It just did not make sense that some could use the service via browser and some could not. I will likely retrieve my reserved name today and give this a go to check out the experience.

[Superdad]

Well, I've given up trying to get Beats to work. Even if I did, I see very little reason to pay a monthly fee to be able to explore a music library when I can do that for free with a bunch of other sources.

Rdio has a lovely desktop app (its playing now in a tiny window telling me artist and showing the artwork), AccuRadio is not bad, Musicovery is alright, and Pandora still often surprises me. Plus there are some very good internet radio sites (Radio Paradise has been awesome for years--and I donate to support the cool people who lovingly dedicate their time and taste to it).

 

Obviously my interest in streaming sites is entirely for discovering new music while I work. I let it run in the background on my desktop system (AudioEngine P4 Passive Bamboo, DevilSound DAC). And I prefer the kind (like Pandora and Rdio) that take a seed artist and explore for you from there. I find that if I start with someone eclectic like Andrew Bird, I get the most interesting and eclectic branches--though still within a range. So if I am in a jazz mood, I can start with Miles or Bird and great things come along. Plus it's easy to skip any track that does not do it for me.

 

I am interested in what and how others here use streaming services. Do you use them to primarily to play the exact artist/album you are looking for, or are you using them for music discovery?

 

Cheers,

 

Alex C.

[silverarrows]

I have to say this has all been a very frustrating experience for me, especially knowing that because of Beats Music, Mog will no longer be around. The web version is severely limited and really has no functionality. I don't think you can even arrange your tracks in your playlists. For me, the music curation is not useful at all and the playlists of the curators do not have enough tracks. Yes there is more on the mobile apps, but it really drains the battery. Rdio is looking more interesting to me, except for one thing, you can't like or follow an artist or add them to your collection and they don't disclose information on sound quality like bitrate.

[bobbmd]

Well, I've given up trying to get Beats to work. Even if I did, I see very little reason to pay a monthly fee to be able to explore a music library when I can do that for free with a bunch of other sources.

Rdio has a lovely desktop app (its playing now in a tiny window telling me artist and showing the artwork), AccuRadio is not bad, Musicovery is alright, and Pandora still often surprises me. Plus there are some very good internet radio sites (Radio Paradise has been awesome for years--and I donate to support the cool people who lovingly dedicate their time and taste to it).

 

Obviously my interest in streaming sites is entirely for discovering new music while I work. I let it run in the background on my desktop system (AudioEngine P4 Passive Bamboo, DevilSound DAC). And I prefer the kind (like Pandora and Rdio) that take a seed artist and explore for you from there. I find that if I start with someone eclectic like Andrew Bird, I get the most interesting and eclectic branches--though still within a range. So if I am in a jazz mood, I can start with Miles or Bird and great things come along. Plus it's easy to skip any track that does not do it for me.

 

I am interested in what and how others here use streaming services. Do you use them to primarily to play the exact artist/album you are looking for, or are you using them for music discovery?

 

Cheers,

 

Alex C.

i listen and explore just to get new playlists and enjoy the music(like you do) i have a lot of playlists(hundreds of songs per playlist) and want to transfer them to BM i dont care for 'someone' to curate songs,lists for me sort of like like going to an old bookstore or old cd/record store and looking through the troughs but i want to have my MOG playlists and the ability to pick out WHAT i personaly want to listen to/am looking for 'discovery'

bobbmd

[Booster MPS]

Well, I've given up trying to get Beats to work. Even if I did, I see very little reason to pay a monthly fee to be able to explore a music library when I can do that for free with a bunch of other sources.

Rdio has a lovely desktop app (its playing now in a tiny window telling me artist and showing the artwork), AccuRadio is not bad, Musicovery is alright, and Pandora still often surprises me. Plus there are some very good internet radio sites (Radio Paradise has been awesome for years--and I donate to support the cool people who lovingly dedicate their time and taste to it).

 

Obviously my interest in streaming sites is entirely for discovering new music while I work. I let it run in the background on my desktop system (AudioEngine P4 Passive Bamboo, DevilSound DAC). And I prefer the kind (like Pandora and Rdio) that take a seed artist and explore for you from there. I find that if I start with someone eclectic like Andrew Bird, I get the most interesting and eclectic branches--though still within a range. So if I am in a jazz mood, I can start with Miles or Bird and great things come along. Plus it's easy to skip any track that does not do it for me.

 

I am interested in what and how others here use streaming services. Do you use them to primarily to play the exact artist/album you are looking for, or are you using them for music discovery?

 

Cheers,

 

Alex C.

 

 

Well I did end up taking this for a spin around the block. The sign up process to retrieve my BM reserved login worked with no issues at all. I did the process from my laptop and it did direct me to use a mobile device to complete the login and get started. All of that was fine. What I can say is that the design of the user interface is a bit of a downer for me. In my opinion MOG was rather elegant in allowing you to get around to things that you were looking for – new music, recommended music, favorites etc. BM is no where near as functional. It’s not bad, but it’s not good. Also it does not look like a polished product at all. I would describe the sharpness/quality of the graphics as an alpha release product. Not sharp at all. For example on my iPad there is no landscape functionality and the use of the screen real estate is puzzling. The font size is huge and the option to reduce it takes the screen down to something iPhone size in the middle of the display. Wha…..??? I don’t get it. Also the art and resolution is not on par with other apps. I don’t think that this was anywhere near release and ready to make a good first impression. I suppose I will stay on board for access to the music but not the functionality. I don’t mean to bash it, but honestly I am underwhelmed.

 

Alex – I really enjoyed MOG for hearing exactly what I wanted to listen to in an artist catalogue. For example if somebody posted on the forum that they were listening to and recommended a Chet Baker album, I would go and listen to that album start to finish. I really don’t use it for discovery of new artists in a random manner (like Pandora). That just happens to be my style.

[Superdad]

Booster:

Thanks for your review. Very helpful.

 

Yes, we each differ in how we use the music sites for listening and/or discovery. At the end of each year I spend a bunch of time reading best of the year lists from a variety of sources. Many, like NPR's various reviewers, will have a song from that artist posted. If I find it somewhat interesting, then I go to Amazon and listen to snippets from their MP3 previews. If I think I might like it enough, I'll add it to my long Wishlist and possibly purchase (the CD) later. I do the same when I read anyone's recommendation or if a interesting artist comes up on Rdio or Pandora.

I don't play any streaming service or previews through my big system--only at my desk. That way, when I do buy the CD, I then treat myself to the full album on the big system and get the full surprise. I am kind of old fashion in that I still believe in the concept of the "album," with the whole journey and the artist's track order decisions (okay, I will skip a track or two if it really rubs me wrong).

 

Regards,

ALEX

[serendipitydawg]

Any offering of "curated" music choices, by definition, sucks. I don't need my tastes made, shaped, folded, spindled, or mutilated. All I need from a streaming service is the opportunity to check out music I've discovered for myself before making a buying decision.

 

The chances of my rolling my MOG subscription over into a Beats Music subscription are very, very close to zero. And I suspect that I'm far from alone on that point. Beats has made a disastrous business decision here. MOG ain't broke; why "fix" it?

 

Only egomaniacs or idiots throw away brand equity on this scale.

 

Your first sentence is eloquence personified. Couldn't agree with you more! Somewhere or other (I don't remember where) I saw streaming described as "pimping someone else's intellectual property".

 

The only practical use for streaming I have found is when deciding whether or not to purchase unfamiliar used CD's in charity (thrift) shops.

 

Don't own a smart phone or any iDevices. Seriously doubt that in the UK streaming services can make a profit even if the entire population has a subscription. Killing the goose that lays the golden egg (music industry) means no new music and an almost infinite supply of cheap CD's.

 

I for one will sit this "innovation" out

[jhwalker]

Your first sentence is eloquence personified. Couldn't agree with you more! Somewhere or other (I don't remember where) I saw streaming described as "pimping someone else's intellectual property".

 

The only practical use for streaming I have found is when deciding whether or not to purchase unfamiliar used CD's in charity (thrift) shops.

 

Don't own a smart phone or any iDevices. Seriously doubt that in the UK streaming services can make a profit even if the entire population has a subscription. Killing the goose that lays the golden egg (music industry) means no new music and an almost infinite supply of cheap CD's.

 

I for one will sit this "innovation" out

 

Agreed - I hate to lose MOG, and Beats Music is not a viable replacement for me. Looks like I'll be auditioning some other services

 

I really like streaming in the "all you can eat" model; i.e., listen to full albums, as many as I want, and download to my mobile devices. It's exactly what I need - like others, I am not interested in someone else finding something I *might* like or stumbling across some obscure track serendipitously.

 

Let me pick my own music, please.

[bprice2]

I live in the sticks where I-net service sucks. Over the period of a night I can wake up to a music download. But, streaming? Forget about it.

[skipperdude]

Ok, so...it's an iPhone app like Pandora? What's the big whoop? In fact, it appears to be worse than Pandora because you can only listen to it on your phone. And they expect people to pay how much per month for this?

[skipperdude]

Ok, so...it's an iPhone app like Pandora? What's the big whoop? In fact, it appears to be worse than Pandora because you can only listen to it on your phone. And they expect people to pay how much per month for this?

 

Sorry, I wrote rashly. You can listen via your desktop web browser. Still, not sure this competes with Spotify or MOG...

[The Computer Audiophile]

Ok, so...it's an iPhone app like Pandora? What's the big whoop? In fact, it appears to be worse than Pandora because you can only listen to it on your phone. And they expect people to pay how much per month for this?

 

Sorry, I wrote rashly. You can listen via your desktop web browser. Still, not sure this competes with Spotify or MOG...

 

 

It's like Pandora but better. Many more features and the ability to listen Pandora stye (it picks music for you) or directly to anything you want to hear.

 

Not sure where you're getting your info from or if you're not doing your homework. Your complaints are

 

1. It's like Pandora, big whoop.

2. Worse tha Pandora because it's only on a phone.

3. It costs money.

 

 

 

I'd say number 3 is accurate. Beats replaces MOG. Same company owns them. Beats directly competes with Spotify.