Industry insiders are reporting that Apple is set to effectively kill iTunes, by releasing three separate media apps in the next major update to macOS: Music, Podcasts and TV.
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These standalone apps are each meant to manage specific content, all of which traditionally fell under the iTunes media library umbrella.
I am now fairly confident based on evidence I don't wish to make public at this point that Apple is planning new (likely UIKit) Music, Podcasts, perhaps even Books, apps for macOS, to join the new TV app. I expect the four to be the next wave of Marzipan apps. Grain of salt, etc
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) April 5, 2019
While the next update won’t likely phase out iTunes just yet – it will presumably stick around to sync legacy devices like iPods (remember those?) – with these three apps on the horizon (and a seemingly universal disdain in both the tech and DJ worlds for the bloatware that iTunes has become) that scenario is closer and more real than ever.
Should DJs be worried?
If Apple stops developing iTunes, which does seem likely, DJs hopefully need not fear as far as music management goes: the Music app will likely retain the best parts of what made iTunes awesome as a DJ library app (smart playlists, iTunes Media folder management, accessibility in DJ software) and get rid of the bloat that you wouldn’t use while DJing (podcasts, TV shows, movies, audiobooks).
Though we don’t have any specifics just yet, a streamlined music app that only lets you manage music makes total sense, and is the right way forward. iTunes is, after all, confusing to use, particularly as it contains both the iTunes music download store and the Apple Music streaming service.
The interesting thing will be to see whether the store side of iTunes lives on in an “iTunes Store”-type app as on iOS, for buying music (and, indeed, other media), or whether Apple takes this chance to abandon music downloads entirely: With download sales continuing to fall, the launch of a standalone Apple Music app might be the time the company chooses to do this.
None of this is confirmed, and it won’t happen imminently though, so don’t panic and hold tight – we’ll let you know more details when we have them.
Do you think Apple should discontinue iTunes? How do you manage your DJ library? What other apps do you use for music management? Let us know below.
Joey Santos
