If you haven't already integrated Apple Music, Spotify or another music streaming service into your everyday life, you might be forced to in the next couple of years.
According to a new report from Digital Music News, Apple is supposedly planning on executing the complete elimination of digital music downloads from the iTunes store by early 2019. The write-up cites “multiple sources tied into the platform or working at the company itself" as individuals who have confirmed that these plans exist, despite Apple's insistence to the contrary.
DMN’s Paul Resnikoff provided a few more details about the plan, which will allegedly take hold of Apple's iTunes users shortly after the Christmas season of 2018 ends. Check out an excerpt below:
"The company would migrate a user’s iTunes download collection towards a brand-new Apple Music account. Then, as part of a three-month transitionary trial account, a user’s entire collection would be migrated into streaming equivalents. All previous playlists and details would also be translated. Downloads unavailable as streams would be grayed out, pending future licensing.
In other words, no one will be losing the already-purchased music material that they've spent their hard-earned cash on within iTunes, but the differences in licensing agreements could yield a discrepancy for some. This could also spell a problem for those who need hard copies of files for their jobs, such as DJ's or bands. One thing is for certain though: the future of music is here, and it's not going back the other way.
What do you think? Good move or bad move for Apple to reportedly phase out digital music downloads in a couple of years? Let us know in the comments.
