Apple’s failed social networking platform Apple Music Connect is back, but this time not for fans. Instead, it’s a set of promotional tools for record labels.
It’s not like Apple starts and leaves social media programs as often as Google kills apps, but it feels close. Alongside more famous failures like Ping, there was Apple Music Connect, which started in 2015 and died in 2019.
Now Apple has brought it back – or really just reused the name – with Apple Music Connect for record labels and music distributors. It still has a social media element in that its tools include what Apple calls social templates for promoting on Twitter, Instagram and so on.
Additionally, the new service is similar to the existing Apple Podcasts Connect in that it acts as a one-stop shop for a range of tools. In this case, the tools offered to professionals in the recording industry are divided into three main categories:
- Support
- Spacing
- Media requirements
As part of the promotion, Apple is offering resources to “build momentum around the release.” It is primarily a series of templates to which artwork can be added.
For Pitch tools, Apple includes ways to “get your artists on our radar.” This is really a form for record companies to fill out with release information, which is then sent to Apple Music editorial teams around the world.
Then media requests are like the opposite of Pitch. It’s up to Apple Music to ask the record label for promotional images.
Finally, the new service also bundles tools for creating embedded players, badges and affiliate links.
So Apple Music Connect isn’t about offering anything specifically new, but it gives the music industry a single destination for doing business with Apple Music.
Details from the “Promotions” section of Apple Music Connect — image credit: Apple
Apple Music Connect is not accessible unless you work in the industry. Apple won’t even let users sign in, instructing them to “reach out to someone in your organization.”
The new service is listed as part of the “Apple Music for Partners” program. This is an existing service that, at first glance, appears to already offer at least most of the same features, but perhaps in a less efficient way.