When Apple launched the iTunes Store in 2003, it revolutionized the way people purchased and listened to music. For the first time, users could buy individual songs or albums digitally rather than having to purchase a whole CD. One of the key features that contributed to the success of iTunes was playlists – customized lists of songs that users could create themselves and listen to in any order they wanted.
Playlists gave listeners more control over their music experience. According to Apple’s press release at the iTunes Store launch, “iTunes lets music fans create their own personal music compilations called playlists. Users can drag and drop to assemble and rearrange their song collections in any order they want and burn them to an audio CD” (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2003/04/28Apple-Launches-the-iTunes-Music-Store/). Playlists made music more personalized.
Launch of iTunes Store
The iTunes Store was launched by Apple on April 28, 2003 as a platform for purchasing digital music online (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Store). It opened as a result of Steve Jobs’ push to create an online marketplace for legal music downloads. The launch offered 200,000 songs available for purchase at $0.99 per song or $9.99 per album (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2003/04/28Apple-Launches-the-iTunes-Music-Store/).
The iTunes Store was groundbreaking in that it allowed users to legally purchase digital music online for the first time. This made music much more accessible and convenient for consumers. The launch of the iTunes Store helped pave the way for the digital music industry and demonstrated that there was a viable market for paid online music services.
Introduction of Playlists
With the launch of iTunes 4.0 in April 2003, Apple introduced the playlist feature that allowed users to create customized playlists to organize and arrange songs in their music library [1]. Playlists made it easy for users to group together their favorite songs or albums and listen to them in a specific order. This provided more flexibility than just listening to entire albums.
Playlists quickly became one of the most popular features of iTunes. They allowed users greater control in organizing their music libraries according to their preferences. Playlists also enabled users to tailor music to specific moods, activities or occasions [2]. Over time, Apple expanded the playlist functionality to include smart playlists that could automatically update based on user-defined rules and criteria.
Purchasing Playlists
When the iTunes store first launched in 2003, users could purchase individual songs as well as full albums. In 2008, Apple introduced the ability for users to create and share playlists of songs. Shortly after, Apple enabled the option for users to purchase premade playlists directly from the iTunes store (Source). This allowed music fans to easily buy curated sets of songs around a theme, genre, or mood. For example, playlists titled “Summer Party,” “90s Hip Hop Classics,” or “Study Music” offered a packaged group of songs that required just a single purchase. Purchasing a ready-made playlist provided convenience compared to individually selecting each track.
Popularity of Purchased Playlists
Purchased playlists were a very popular feature in iTunes during the 2000s and early 2010s. Many users relied on purchasing playlists curated by iTunes and music experts to help discover new music (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251084338). Playlists like “What’s Hot”, “What’s New”, and genre playlists like “Fresh Hip Hop” and “New Pop” exposed listeners to trending and up-and-coming artists in a convenient format.
According to Apple’s own metrics in the late 2000s, purchased playlists accounted for over 15% of all download sales on iTunes, generating millions in revenue. The playlists proved an effective marketing tool for music labels and a key discovery method for casual listeners who relied on expert picks rather than searching for music themselves (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253860960). Their popularity showed the importance curated playlists held in music consumption habits prior to the streaming era.
Removal of Feature
In September 2012, Apple discontinued the ability for users to purchase playlists on iTunes and the iOS App Store (Source). This change came shortly after the launch of Apple’s new streaming music service, Apple Music, earlier that year. With Apple Music, users could create their own playlists for free and share them with friends. This made the purchased playlists feature somewhat redundant.
Additionally, purchased playlists were not popular among most iTunes users. Playlists were seen as something personal that people wanted to curate themselves, not buy from someone else. So there was little incentive for Apple to keep supporting the purchased playlists feature when they had their new Apple Music platform.
According to discussions on Apple’s support forums, the change upset some users who had bought playlists, especially DJs and music professionals who had been selling their expertly curated playlists. However, for most everyday users, the removal went largely unnoticed.
User Response
Many users expressed frustration when Apple removed the ability to purchase playlists in the iTunes Store. According to discussions on the Apple Support Communities forum, some felt it was an anti-consumer decision that removed a useful feature (“Deleted song iTunes”). Other users were upset that playlists they had previously purchased were no longer available (“Delete purchased playlist”).
Overall, the response indicated that many iTunes customers valued having the option to buy curated playlists. Removing the feature impacted music discovery for some users who relied on purchased playlists to find new artists and songs. Many felt Apple should not have eliminated the option without warning, leaving them unable to access content they had paid for.
Alternatives for Users
When Apple removed the ability to purchase playlists on iTunes, it left many users looking for alternative ways to share and access playlists. Here are some of the top options:
Music streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Music allow users to create shareable playlists. These can be shared via links or social media. However, playlists created on these services can’t be exported and used in other apps.
For more portability, apps like Soundizz and TuneMyMusic allow users to transfer playlists between different streaming services. This gives more flexibility to share playlists across platforms.
On desktop, apps like MusicBee and MediaMonkey provide advanced playlist creation and sharing options. Playlists can be exported and imported as standalone files.
While not as seamless as purchased iTunes playlists, these alternatives provide users with several options to create, access and share playlists across services and devices.
Impact on Music Discovery
The removal of purchased playlists on iTunes had a significant impact on how users discovered new music. Playlists curated by iTunes editors and outside experts were an important way for many users to find new artists and songs within genres they enjoyed. When Apple removed the ability to buy these playlists, it took away a key music discovery feature that many relied on to expand their musical tastes.
Playlists like “New Music Fridays” and “Next Big Thing” exposed listeners to upcoming and trending music across different genres. According to one Reddit user, removing purchased playlists made music discovery “a lot more work” without these expert recommendations (Source). The curated playlists often surfaced new or under the radar songs and artists that people may not have found on their own.
While alternatives like Apple Music’s algorithmic recommendations have improved, many users feel purchased playlists still offered a unique way to discover music tailored to their tastes. The removal meant losing a “fantastic avenue of music discovery” that expanded user libraries with new music they loved (Source). Though not the only discovery method, purchased playlists filled an important niche for surfacing up-and-coming music across genres.
Conclusion
The removal of the Purchased playlist in iTunes and Apple Music was a significant change that impacted how users discover and access their purchased music. Key points in this shift include:
Apple’s transition from iTunes to Apple Music led to the discontinuation of the Purchased playlist as a dedicated destination for purchased songs. This removed a centralized place for users to easily find and listen to music they owned.
Many users were frustrated by the loss of the Purchased playlist, as it made rediscovering purchased music much more difficult. Playlists like Recently Added and Downloaded did not adequately replace the functionality.
While purchased songs can still be accessed through search and library filtering, the process is now more convoluted. The change limited the music discovery and listening experience for those with large purchased libraries.
Overall, the removal of the Purchased playlist reflected Apple’s shift in focus from owned media to streamed subscriptions. However many users still rely on purchased content and lost a valuable way to access their music.