Will the $9.95 monthly charge for Apple Music cover the cost of iCloud storage, or is iCloud storage an additional fee?

JazzmanJD wrote:

I have a rather large iTunes music library, and I was just wondering if the $9.95 monthly fee for Apple Music would also cover the cost of the iCloud storage feature.

iCloud storage for your music is included, yes.

-> http://www.apple.com/music/membership/?itscg=1001&at=1000lGN&ct=US-google&?cid=w wa-us-kwg-music

Do not confuse the Music service where the iTunes Store provides access to all its content as a temporary loan even if you do not have a copy of it, and the Match service where Apple provides content for you to download permanently as long you already have a version of it on your computer. They are two separate things. On top of all this, anything you purchase from the iTunes Store is already nominally permanently in iCloud (that being where it came from in the first place and where it is kept as a common master copy to anybody who buys it) to be re-downloaded (with limitations so regard it as a convenience, not a backup).

With Match if you have a track on your computer the service will see if there is a similar track on the iTunes Store already. If there is it will give you full access to that track, including download. If there is not, the service will take your 128-255k track as-is or downgrade it to 256k AAC and upload that to your personal Match user area on iCloud. So if you have a lossless file it will be downgraded. It is also possible Apple has a copy that Matches but isn't identical to your copy, such as a re-master version. Most would not regard those two features as a true backups. Additionally you may have music that is less than 128k and Apple will not Match that, so the only copy you have is what is on your computer.

Music is more like your public library (except you pay). If you don't have The Beatles White Album at home and want to listen to it and it is on Music you can do so as long as you pay the subscription. Temporary copies will even download to your devices so you can listen to them when not connected to the Internet, but likely there will be some sort of expiration feature so you don't subscribe for a month and download 50,000 tracks to listen to for free when you wish over the next 5 years. Copies are not uploaded to iCloud because that is where they come from in the first place and are always there (just as your purchases are always there). If you have music on your computer that Apple does not have and you do not have Match then that music won't be in iCloud. Music only provides the things Apple has, not a variant of Match where Apple is storing a copy of what you have on your computer or sharing its copy if it think it already has on in its collection

From your link -->

"Does Apple Music work with iTunes Match?

Yes. Apple Music and iTunes Match are independent but complementary."

= not the same thing but do services the other one does not.

Limnos wrote:

If you have music on your computer that Apple does not have and you do not have Match then that music won't be in iCloud. Music only provides the things Apple has, not a variant of Match where Apple is storing a copy of what you have on your computer or sharing its copy if it think it already has on in its collection

Yes, Apple Music will upload your files it does not have.

From the link I posted above:

"How does Apple Music know what songs are in my personal library?

With an Apple Music membership, your entire library lives in iCloud. We compare every track in your collection to the Apple Music library to see if we have a copy. If we do, you can automatically listen to it straight from the cloud. If you have music that’s not in our catalog, we upload those songs from iTunes on your Mac or PC. It’s all in iCloud, so it won’t take up any space on your devices."

"Does Apple Music work with iTunes Match?
Yes. Apple Music and iTunes Match are independent but complementary."

I think Apple still needs to define (to themselves) what the difference is between iTunes Match and Apple Music.

I don't really see any difference.

Personally, I think iTunes Match will go away as Apple Music generates more $$.

Thanks for pointing that out. I don't routinely browse that page (and can see why with the horrible white on black design). That seems to be a new inclusion and one which seems to overlap a lot with Match. In fact the only thing it is introducing is placing copies of music you have exclusively on your computer into iCloud since "matches" are there already even if Apple wasn't scanning your iTunes collection for them. What isn't clear is if it overlaps with Match to the degree that if you have a 128k version of something iCloud has in 256 if you then get to keep the 256k download the way you would with Match. One has to remember you have to take apart Apple documents word for word. 😉 On that basis it would seem if you have a 96k track it would get uploaded whereas with Match it would not.

"we upload those songs from iTunes on your Mac or PC. It’s all in iCloud, so it won’t take up any space on your devices." - Yeah, like I am going to trust that. Make sure you always have a local backup. You don't want all your collection vanishing into thin air because you thought Apple was keeping your music for you and there was a payment processing error with your subscription expiring without you knowing it.

Basically it doesn't say much so far and all you can do is analyze each statement at face value. It doesn't say they upload all your music as-is, they don't say they don't do that. I would be surprised if Apple wanted to offer to storage space for AIFF format lossless, or even ALAC, particularly if they have a 256k AAC file just sitting there in their own collection anyway.

It doesn't say if they do a replacement service similar to Match for Matchable items, it doesn't say it does not do that. If it does then what is the point of continuing Match? It seems from the notice Match has some "complementary features" and the replacement service might be one they keep separate and only only offer a temporary substitute file through Music. Or they may decide to discontinue Match and the replacement policy in the future the way they got rid of the iTunes Plus upgrade option for DRM purchases after a year or two.

Any songs uploaded through Apple Music will be re-downloaded with DRM (even custom Uploaded songs). iTunes Match re-downloads DRM free.