Apple Music steps up the indie music game with HIFI

Apple is the most consistently dynamic brand of our generation. Staying up-to date with the trends and incorporating them in their products and services is something that has positioned the brand as ‘elitist’. However, Apple Music is going an extra mile to promote Indian independent music. The service (that currently charges the highest fee amongst all other streaming services in India) is making significant changes to incorporate new-age artists who do not have the same budget as a label-represented artist.

Launch Platform for Independent Artists

Apple Music, which has a ginormous subscriber base, is easily the most aspired service for budding artists. In order to include localized talent and promote it alongside global hits, the service launched features to maximize the fruitfulness of the app. The most prominent feature being the ‘Hear It Hear First’ (HIHF). HIHF is a curated section on Apple Music that displays exclusive content on a monthly basis. It features new releases of both mainstream and independent artists which is a big deal for the latter to share the spotlight and thrive on their talent under the label of Apple. Kavya Trehan, whose single ‘Underscore’ was exclusively released on Apple Music under the HIHF initiative reportedly said,

“It’s a big deal for an independent artist to get on a platform such as this as it puts the spotlight on the artist, placing us on the right charts, in the right genre. For me, the best part is that there is no creative burden. I can be myself and Apple Music will support me through my journey and retain my identity as an artist.”

New Artist Spotlight

Another initiative to glorify independent artists taken by Apple Music is the New Artist Spotlight feature that showcases at least one new artist with an exclusive release on a monthly basis. Artists like Prabh Deep, MADM, Sutej Singh are a few who have benefitted significantly through this initiative.  

“Apple Music really put the focus on me. People now recognise me on the road. People have me on their phone screens. That’s how accessible my music has become,” says Deep.

In addition to HIHF and New Artist Spotlight, Apple has included several other features in the new iOS12 to make the performance of the app better and to further promote newer independent artists:

• Artists’ Pages: Bigger artwork for artist pages and a ‘Play’ button on them. The button will play every track in the selected artist’s discography. With the launch of ‘Apple Music for Artists’, the artists can manage and control their own images on their page.
• Top 100: Playlists of the top songs from all over the world. The playlist can be added to a user’s library and will automatically update itself everyday.

With a brand like Apple going an extra mile to promote Indian independent music, it has again managed to stay ahead of the game. This is probably where they shout “Think Different” the loudest. Image Credits: Apple Music FB Page