Do I need Apple Music to play music I downloaded from iTunes?

whnew1 wrote:

It looks as though iTunes, which was free for decades, has to be replaced by Apple Music, which requires a subscription. I have purchased some tracks from iTunes over the years, but the vast majority of my music on my iPod is downloaded CDs, which I also own free and clear--or so I thought. I want to use my iPhone as the mp3 player I thought it could be. Am I correct that I have to subscribe to Apple Music to play my own downloaded music, all of which I owned? And if this is true, can anyone recommend a good standalone mp3 player that has a strong playlist capacity? I listen to classical (mostly) so I absolutely must have playlist capability, as well as bluetooth (for my new car, which won't recognize my iPod). [BTW, I'm too old and far too cranky to learn anything too new and too complicated.}

Thanks,

Bill

No you don't need to subscribe to Apple music.

I still have all my non purchased in my iTunes library, still sync to it to add songs etc

Sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod using your computer - Apple Support

To expand on what razmee209 has told you, there's a crucial difference between Apple Music (the subscription service) and the Music app that is one of the three constituent parts that replace iTunes (which I am not yet using).

The replacement apps are:

• • Devices
  • Music
  • TV

I believe that each of them is often referred to (incorrectly, or at least very confusingly) as Apple Devices, Apple Music and Apple TV. It's not the only time that Apple have used a confusing naming convention.