It's iTunes Ping all over again. Remember when Apple integrated social media-like features into iTunes but nobody really cared about it? Well, it looks like history is repeating itself: The Cupertino brand is apparently removing those features from Apple Music as well.
That essentially means Apple is giving up on its second attempt to make music listening more social. The company has informed artists that moving forward, they can no longer share posts or other content on the Connect section of Apple Music.
Apple confirmed the change on its website, stating that "Connect posts from artists are no longer supported." 9to5Mac first discovered the departure.
Apple Music Loses Social Media Features
Apple introduced Connect at the Worldwide Developers Conference in 2015, pitching it as a place where musicians can reach out to their fans. The company also went as far to say that it was a standout feature of the music streaming service. At the time, Jimmy Iovine gushed that Connect is one of the three pillars of Apple Music, the others being streaming and Beats Radio.
"Can you imagine being an up and coming artist and being able to share your music on the biggest platform in the world that people already have?" Iovine said onstage.
Apple Really Cares About Linking Social Media And Music
Apple clearly invested a lot on Connect. Eddy Cue, Apple's senior VP for Internet Services and Software, even brought out Drake at the keynote to talk more about Connect. The way Drake spoke made it seem he was extremely enthusiastic about the project too, presenting Connect as the one-stop-shop where rising music stars can reach a broader audience.
"Instead of having to post your stuff on all these different and sometimes confusing places, it all lives in one, very simple, very easy place, and that is Connect," Drake said. "This approach is how we broke in 2008, and it has been perfected and of simplified, of course, by the great people at Apple."
It's not clear if Apple is hatching a plan for a third attempt at social media features centered around music once again. As with Ping, Connect never really gained a solid audience, and thus didn't accrue considerable momentum. Two failed attempts already say a lot. Either Apple is doing something wrong, or people simply don't care about the feature and just want to listen to their favorite playlists. Simplicity, after all, is king, and Apple, of all companies, should know that.
