Far From the Tree: Apple Music Turns 10 — But How Far Did We Fall

Ten years ago Apple Music launched, changing the way we would consume music. Prior to June 30, 2015, music fans lived in a world where ownership mattered. To own a song meant you bought it — either a CD, cassette, vinyl, or if you were part of the early digital scene, you may have downloaded it. Music had weight. You synced your iPod, burned mixes onto CDs, and proudly organized your library. Every album you bought felt like an investment; you lived with it, you learned it, and in many cases, you became attached to it.

With Apple Music’s release, this all changed. Apple, already a titan in tech, was entering the streaming race — aiming to take on Spotify while offering something new. With the combined forces of Eddy Cue, Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre, and Trent Reznor, Apple Music wasn’t just about streaming; it was about reshaping the way we experienced music. It was designed to blend human curation with an algorithmic, promising a new world where music was available at the touch of a button, on-demand, and with no limits. Perhaps most importantly, Apple was introducing exclusive content and original shows, changing what it meant to be a music listener.

Today, music is no longer something we own. For $10.99/month. Listeners gain access to millions of tracks, with the option to skip, repeat, or shuffle with no effort. It’s indeed incredible, but it’s also pretty overwhelming. We’ve gained unlimited access, but in doing so, we’ve lost something crucial. The experience of sitting with an album, feeling a deeper connection, and truly “owning” the music. Now, it’s more common to skip through songs, dipping between tracks rather than living the words we once have.

For artists, the landscape has shifted dramatically, too. Streaming has made it easier to share music and reach an international audience, but the financial rewards.... are far less substantial. Of the that $10.99** you pay monthly, 30% goes to Apple, and the remaining 70% is divided among rights holders like record labels, publishers, and artists. The payout for an artist can be small as hell, especially for those who are signed to major labels. While the revenue pool has grown due to the increase in subscribers, the cut that reaches the artist is often just a fraction.

To make $1 from streaming on Apple Music, an artist needs around 100 to 140 streams, depending on the specific deal they have with their label. That’s about $7 to $10 for every 1,000 streams. Even a million streams, which is a significant achievement for ANY artist, only translates to between $7,000 to $10,000. Another MAJOR detail, over 120,000 new songs are uploaded across major streaming platforms DAILY. It’s a flood of content, and standing out in that crowd becomes more difficult every single year. What was once a slow build of an artist’s career now feels like a constant scramble to stay relevant and visible. Thats the reason you're seeing artists pull foolishness to stay in the public eye.

In the last decade, the pressure on artists to keep up with the ever-present demand for new content has led to burnout for many. The algorithms that drive these platforms prioritize quantity over quality, and artists feel compelled to churn out singles, EPs, and even full albums more quickly than ever before — not necessarily because they’re inspired, but because they need to stay in the algorithm’s favor.

So, has the past 10 years of streaming made music better or worse? On the one hand, we have access to more music than EVER before, with artists reaching audiences far beyond what was possible in the past. On the other hand, the value of music has arguably diminished, both for the listener and the artist. Music is more disposable, and the emotional connection to albums and songs has been dimmed by the volume and accessibility of content.

Apple Music didn’t break the music industry, but it undeniably helped redefine it. And as we look back on the last ten years, it’s worth asking: Is this the future we hoped for — or just the one we’ve settled for.

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