It has been confirmed that from today, the Apple Music app will be available on Roku’s smart TV software, streaming players, and audio products such as the Streambar Pro.
With Roku being one of the most watched streaming platforms in the United States, and one of the first to get access to the Apple TV+ streaming service after its 2019 launch, it is perhaps surprising that it took until today for an Apple Music app to finally be offered through Roku.
Apple Music’s obvious music streaming competitor Spotify, for instance, has been on the Roku platform since 2012. It has been suggested that Apple’s reluctance to add the Music app to the platform until now might have had something to do with Roku’s monetization practices, whereby the firm keeps 20% of all revenue through transactional channels.
Whatever the exact reasons for the long wait for an Apple Music app on Roku – and Apple finally deciding to put the app on the fast-growing platform after all – the news will be welcomed by existing Apple Music subscribers who already possess Roku devices.
The move might also help Apple to gather more subscribers from those who may have otherwise considered Spotify or the other music-streaming apps already on Roku, such as Tidal and Amazon Music.
If you subscribe to Apple Music already and have a Roku device, you will be able to use your existing log-in credentials with the new app. As for if you haven’t subscribed previously, you can do so via the Roku channel store and get a one-month free trial – after which, you will be able to keep on enjoying the service for as little as $9.99 a month.
As for the app itself, it very much replicates the experience that can be had of Apple Music on other platforms, with features including Apple Music 1 radio and access to the user’s custom library.