Apple Music is a popular streaming music service that gives users access to over 90 million songs through their subscription. One of the most common questions Apple Music subscribers have is “Why can’t I download Apple Music songs to my device?” There are a few reasons why Apple Music limits music downloads, which we’ll explore in this article.
Licensing Restrictions
The main reason Apple Music limits downloads is due to licensing restrictions set by record labels and publishers. Apple doesn’t actually own the music available on the service – they license the rights to stream songs from rights holders. Most licensing agreements restrict users from permanently downloading songs to personal devices. This gives rights holders more control over their content.
Record labels want to avoid situations where users download a large music library and then unsubscribe from the service. Downloads make it harder to track engagement and listening habits as well. That valuable data informs business decisions for rights holders and artists. By limiting downloads, Apple Music abides by licensing rules and maintains good relationships with the music industry.
Impact on Streaming Revenues
In addition to licensing rules, downloads can undermine the streaming revenue model. Music streaming services like Apple Music generate revenue through monthly subscription fees or ad support. If subscribers could freely download their entire libraries, they’d have less incentive to keep paying the monthly fee.
Even with downloads disabled, studies show piracy remains an issue for streaming services. But excessive downloading capabilities would certainly exacerbate the problem. The music industry learned this lesson the hard way in the early 2000s when piracy ran rampant through sites like Napster. The unrestricted downloading model nearly destroyed industry revenues. Music companies are wary of repeating this mistake.
Technical and Business Limitations
Beyond legal constraints, there are technical and business reasons why Apple Music limits downloads:
Storage Requirements
Apple Music subscribers have access to 90 million songs. If each user downloaded even a fraction of that, it would overwhelm storage capacities on phones, tablets, and computers. Apple has to consider download allowances that don’t degrade the user experience or overload devices.
Feature Parity
Apple Music wants feature parity across platforms, but different operating systems have different allowances for downloads. iTunes on desktop platforms offers more generous download allowances than the iOS or Android mobile apps. Standardizing features helps Apple control the user experience.
Bandwidth Costs
Unlimited downloading could get expensive for Apple in bandwidth costs. While streaming music has minimal data demands, downloads consume much more bandwidth. If Apple Music allowed unlimited downloads, their data delivery costs would skyrocket.
What Can You Download?
Although Apple Music limits overall downloads, users aren’t completely restricted. Here’s an overview of what subscribers can download:
iOS/Android App
- Individual songs: Up to 100 downloads per device.
- Albums: Up to 10 downloads per device.
- Playlists: Up to 100 downloads per device.
iTunes Desktop App
- Individual songs: Unlimited downloads across 5 computers.
- Albums: Unlimited downloads across 5 computers.
- Playlists: Unlimited downloads across 5 computers.
So desktop users enjoy much more download flexibility versus mobile users. But even the desktop app prevents downloading enormous libraries.
Workarounds
While Apple Music restricts downloads, some clever workarounds can help you save music to your devices.
Screen Recording
On iOS, you can screen record songs as they play and capture the audio. It’s time consuming but delivers audio files to your camera roll. Quality depends on microphone capabilities.
Voice Memos
A similar workaround involves opening Voice Memos during song playback to capture clips. You can string multiple memos together to capture entire tracks.
analog-to-digital converter
With the right cables, you can route Apple Music audio into an external analog-to-digital converter. This will digitize the analog audio stream into a downloadable file. Quality depends on the converter.
Third-party Apps
Some third-party iOS apps claim the ability to record and download Apple Music tracks. Quality varies across apps and Apple may disable apps that violate terms.
Why So Limited?
Apple Music’s download limitations understandably frustrate subscribers. But Apple has rational reasons for restrictive downloads:
- Adhering to licensing terms is critical for Apple’s relationships with rights holders.
- Unrestricted downloads could decimate Apple’s streaming revenues.
- Bandwidth costs would surge under unlimited downloading.
- Users’ devices have finite storage capacities.
Ultimately, Apple Music is optimized for streaming. While limited downloads are allowed, it will never match the freedom of fully owned music libraries.
The Future
How might Apple Music’s download allowances evolve? There are a few possibilities:
Tiered Plans
Apple could introduce a higher-priced tier with more generous downloads. This would appeal to power users without changing mainstream plans.
Device Unlocking
Downloads could be unlocked for certain devices like iPods. This allows offline listening without opening downloads across all devices.
Industry Changes
If licensing models shift, Apple Music may relax download limits. But near term changes seem unlikely given the music industry’s concerns.
Status Quo
Apple may elect to maintain strict download limits to protect streaming revenues. Only minor tweaks would occur over time.
Summary
To summarize why Apple Music limits downloads:
- Licensing deals prohibit unlimited downloads.
- Downloads threaten Apple’s streaming income.
- Unmanaged downloads would overwhelm devices and bandwidth.
While Apple Music subscribers have some downloading ability, it pales in comparison to owned music libraries. Workarounds exist but violate terms in some cases. The download limits look likely to persist unless licensing models change substantially.
Conclusion
Apple Music’s download restrictions aim to balance consumer desires, licensing rules, technical limits, and business interests. Download flexibility will likely improve marginally over time. But the core streaming-focused model will remain geared around access rather than ownership. Users wanting broad downloading ability may need to look at alternative services or owned music libraries. With the proper context, Apple Music subscribers can better understand the rationale behind download limits.