Music Services: add Apple Music?

Answered
Danny Groeneveld

Hi,

 

Just thought, let's drop the question again.

Does Bluesound expect (short term) to add Apple Music as a "Music Service" in the Node 2i?

NOT via Airplay2,  but as a Music Service in the Node 2i.

 

Thanks!

Danny

5

Comments

225 comments

Date Votes
  • David Toone

    Apple could have made it happen by now but does not want to. 

    It's seems a little strange to me. Apple lets just about everyone have Airplay 2 so we can listen to Apple Music on non-Apple devices, but they don't want those devices to stream Apple Music outside of Airplay 2.

    An Apple Music Connect would be nice, similar to Tidal Connect, but I would still use Airplay 2 to play music around the house and on the patio on multiple speaker systems at the same time.

    1
  • Erwin Lötscher
    • Edited

    Hi Tony
    In the meantime, however, something has changed at Apple in this matter. Maybe there is still hope that Apple Music "Music Service" for my NAD 368 with NAD MDC BluOS (not 2i) ?
    https://developer.apple.com/documentation/applemusicapi

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi Erwin

    Nothing has changed. The documentation you are reviewing is not for playback. Apple is only moving forward with an endpoint solution at this time. Thanks for your patience.

    0
  • Jean-Baptiste TERPREAU

    Hello Bluesound!

    I am considering replacing my old Sonos Connect with a Node 2i. Seems to have plenty to love with the Node. 

    However, I don't understand why you state that it is not possible to support Apple Music Playback directly on the Node. It is possible on the Sonos. I find it practical to search for music and have the results of my Library and from apple music directly in the app.

    Thank you for your feedback

     

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi Jean-Baptiste

    Apple has chosen to use the Apple AirPlay model for supporting their service. If you have a NODE 2i, you have Apple Music using their App on their device but AirPlaying to your player.

    0
  • marc.garcia.marti

    Tony, echoing what Jean-Baptiste said, I own a Heos compatible device and I can use Apple Music without the need of my Apple gear airplaying into the Marantz.
    Was that possible maybe in the past when these two services launched, and now is no longer allowed by Apple?

    Thanks

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    I cannot speak for other companies and other organisations other than to suggest your receiver may already have contained the necessary hardware authorisation requirements of Apple which we had to include in the 2i line up.

    0
  • Johan Coppieters
    • Edited

    Tony, I understand that you can't speak for other companies, but Sonos is just streaming Apple Music directly into their speakers. I don't suppose they do this via an illegal way, they are way too big for that, moreover, Apple explains it even on their support website how to add Apple Music to a Sonos device... So why not BlueSound?  For me this is a real deal breaker. I don't want an iPad streaming music via AirPlay to each speaker.

    0
  • David Toone

    When using AirPlay 2 to stream Apple Music through the Node 2i, is the iOS device already converting to analog and sending that signal through AirPlay 2? When using AirPlay 2, do we get the full benefit of the Node 2i and its DAC?

    Judging by the signal chain, and disregarding the playback gear (amp and speakers), how would you compare the audio quality of listening to Apple Music through an Apple TV, which doesn't rely on AirPlay, versus listening to Apple Music that is sent to the Node 2i by AirPlay? Would I lose something by going the AirPlay > Node 2i route?

    I am evaluating whether to rely on using AirPlay 2 with the Node 2i to listen to streaming music through an NAD amp and would appreciate it if you might explain a little how this works. I hope you can answer my questions. Thanks in advance.

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi David

    AirPlay support is no different on a 2i BluOS Player as it is on other AirPlay Speakers with regards to this as it is designed by Apple. Any sound quality changes you hear would be through the DAC.

    In all honesty, if sound quality matters that much to you, consider switching to a Hi-Res Lossless service such as TIDAL.com or Amazon HD.

    0
  • Danny Groeneveld

    ...still it is strange that Sonos can use the Apple Music as a service in their equipment...

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager
    • Edited

    It already does as it supports Apple's propritary ALAC, as do we... 

    0
  • Werner De Bijl
    • Edited

    So I just checked the Sonos device of my son. I both added Apple Music and Spotify as Music Services. When selecting an album to play I have a similar experience on both services: I can start playing the album and completely shutdown my iPhone. When I connect to both services from another device on the Sonos speaker I can fast forward or skip to the next song. In the meantime the music is playing on the Sonos speaker.
    As last step I stopped the WiFi on both devices and still the Sonos (which is still connected to WiFi) remains playing. When I skip a song on the buttons on the Sonos (IKEA) I can skip to the next song and it keeps playing. So it appears it is doing the exact same as Spotify Connect. The Apple Music service is playing through the local Wifi connection on the device itself.

    Exact the same behavior as I have with my Node2i and Spotify... but not when adding Apple Music. My phone or whatever device playing and streaming the music to Node2i needs to be in range or connected to the WiFi. This is not the case with Sonos.

    Or am I missing something here?

    I will move over to Apple Music but I will surely use a player which provides a similar experience as Spotify Connect. So Sonos is an option. Not sure if there are others?

    0
  • Sebastiaan Hols
    • Edited

    Airplay is definitely not the only way.

    Here is the Sonos Support on Apple Music as a service: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3282?language=en_US

    Reddit thread on Apple Music as a Service on Sonos: https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/j0b854/apple_music_on_sonos/

    I also can't find how they do it, maybe they are doing something hacky with Music Kit for Web and using it on the Sonos device, but it's definitely possible to add Apple Music as a Service! 

    https://developer.apple.com/documentation/musickitjs

    If Sonos can do it I'm sure the Dev Gods at BlueSound can do it. 😄

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Thanks for the praise to our Engineering Team, I will pass it along but it is in fact not that easy based on my conversations with them.


    0
  • Ken
    • Edited

    Given the recent development, Tidal may be on a bit of shaky ground.  It becomes increasingly important to have direct Apple Music support.  Hope this can be done or the other guy will have a big edge.

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    TIDAL is in fact doing quite well and not going anywhere any time soon.

    0
  • Ken

    Surely hope that you are right.  But unless they slash their price, there may soon be an exodus.  Amazon acted right away already.

    0
  • Jason Kaplan
    • Edited

    Could you please comment on why my question regarding Airplay and your comment regarding how your devices work no longer appear on this thread?

     

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    Hi Jason 

    My apologies - we are still investigating and can not share details at this time. What we do know is up to 24/48 should work immediately when Apple enables it.  Please visit apple.com/airplay for full details. 

    0
  • Jason Kaplan

    With respect, Apple obviously doesn't comment with any specific relevance to the questions being raised in this thread. We're asking the company you represent how Apple's technology will be implemented within their products. Directing us to Apple for information, and you deleting my question and your comment, is rather dismissive.

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    I appreciate that Jason but as you mentioned, it is Apple's Technology... meaning it is their product we are implementing in ours but is still just as much theirs. Thanks for understanding.

    0
  • Tony W.
    Product Support Manager

    "...Reading the tea leaves and speculating about what we'd like to happen is fun."

    but also important for us to know both internally and working with other partners.

    0
  • Jason Kaplan

    Brian Yeah, I understand he is probably constrained by Apple about what he can divulge. I surmise he prematurely gave information unintended to be released by him. Reddit, however, already has the information deleted. We shall know the truth/reality eventually...

    0
  • David Toone

    Tony, I'm curious to know whether this Apple development means hardware and/or software changes for Bluesound. Can you help with that? Thanks.

    0
  • Stephen B. Malkinson

    Has anyone yet figured out the right sequence to find ALAC content on Apple Music and to stream to BluOS devices? I see that music with Dolby Atmos  is marked as Lossless but have not been able to find any stereo / lossless music yet. 

    0
  • Brian Jacobsmeyer

    According to a tech guy at Naim, Apple is sending a 256k AAC file even when the Apple Music interface says it's lossless.  Hopefully that's just teething pains?  

    https://community.naimaudio.com/t/apple-music-hifi-tier-incoming/16445/437

    0
  • Permanently deleted user

    https://developer.apple.com/musickit/

     

    0
  • Permanently deleted user

    Tom Toft

    "i just don´t get, that Bluesound is waiting for an API"

    I posted above a link and in case that someone is reading the content, he or she will find out that the 2021 API is available, of course just in case that can read.

    0
  • Tom Toft

    @ zeroID

    Precisely - and fingers crossed  ;-)

    0

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