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Apple has really dropped the ball with iOS Music apps
I just read a post about how little @brambos actually makes off his excellent AU apps. And @Sebastian shared some numbers about how dismal the numbers are for Erik Sigth's @humbletune stellar Frekvens app.
Why? This has to be one of the most missed opportunities in the Apple's app store.
Before I discovered my first couple of iOS music apps, I'd always wanted to experiment with sound. I bought some desktop solutions in the past, but the learning curve was always too daunting. Seemed like you really needed to be nearly a sound engineer to fully understand the "big boy" applications.
Then dipped a little toe into the iOS app waters, then a whole foot, and now I'm splashing around like a complete fool. Many, if not most, of the iOS apps are even completely capable of producing professional results as well. The time I've spent learning new iOS apps over the last several months, has also translated to a much greater understanding and comfort level with the heavier-duty desktop applications that were so daunting before.
I don't want to look at the total cost of what I've spent on iOS apps in just the last 10 months, but I had a peek once and it was staggering. I've spent more money on iOS music apps than I have on any other genre of software.. desktop included. And, I'm not even a freakin' musician that many of these apps are targeting!!!
Apple doesn't even have to maintain updates on these apps. They take a nice cut and it's all gravy for them. Why wouldn't they push the iOS music genre to draw in more users like me who get instantly hooked and can't spend money fast enough on new and innovative music apps?
Such a missed opportunity to nurture a sector of the iOS app store that could easily be a great cash cow for both Apple and the developers. I've felt since the beginning of my introduction to iOS music apps, that I was getting in early on something amazing, and that any day everyone else was going to discover what they've been missing, like I had. But, it doesn't happen. It's baffling.
I don't know if any big name recording/performance artists are secretly using iOS apps or not. I know Grimes says that she started with Garageband, but created most of her recent critically-acclaimed album on a Macbook with Ableton. She uses a bunch of soft FX and samples too. I bet she also quietly plays with a lot of these awesome iOS music apps as well.
If Apple could get some heavy hitters to do a little promo about some of their favorite iOS music apps they play with (and you know a bunch of them likely do, they just don't admit it) then I think they could blow this whole sector wide open.
Comments
I never would have got back into music without iOS.
Maybe promotion through schools and colleges is the area we should be pushing? iOS seems ideal for those areas, even for the very young.
I do also think that the stores and especially those selling musical-instruments could do a better job too.
The stores sell 'music-hardware' that works with iOS but have alarmingly low knowledge about the apps that are available on iOS and I think I know why the focus is as it is.
It's simply because the 'store' gets zero profit from apps the user buys for his/her iOS-Device.
(The store could have affiliate links to the apps on their store page and get a small cut if the user buys the apps via links on their page).
I 'shocked' the store where I got my 'free' Line6 MobileIn when I went back there with my iPhone 5 using 30-Pin->Lightning adapter and showed them how well it worked. The profit on the 30-Pin -> Lightning adapter is so high so the store now gives a free adapter with every 'old' Line6 Device they sell... (The Line6 MobileIn is a good quality interface with old 30-pin interface).
But honestly what is needed is to go back to the basics of promotion & marketing.
I recall the times when Apple 'promoted' Aperture. They held seminars for Photographers, were visible on trade-shows and were more 'hands on' with the customers but that was before the 'Apple Store' concept.
I don't mean to bash Apple Retail-Partners but they do a lousy job of telling potential customers what the devices can actually be used for. They focus is to get to cash from the customers and move over to the next.
Korg and Yamaha are doing their fair share at the moment but Apple is just passive for some unknown reason...
found the workflow i always wanted in iOS. I think budgets for schools is a big issue which has mentioned before
The simple answer is that Apple din't give two hoots about music apps, which are a relatively small part of the App Store revenue. The majority comes from fuckwit games and other mass market crap.
Apple are making so much money doing what they're doing, that what would be a golden opportunity to others means nothing to them. When do they ever actually listen to customers. It's all hoopla, designed to sell more and more product. Innovation comes second.
Apple could easily, for example, develop a desktop OS, let's call it Peach, which could run Windows programs side by side with Apple's own. Using Coherence Mode from Parallels. This new OS would, very likely, leave Windows standing and eventually put Microsoft out of business. Why don't they do that? Because they don't need to, and don't want the hassle of tens of millions swapping systems.
If there was the will, Apple could free up the odd billion, and promote IOS music as the next great thing, advertised as you suggest by a few big names. They'd clean up. But, as above, no one can be bothered.
I'm not sure what would help. I think there is a lot of potential out there, because making music is more popular than ever and iOS provides a relatively cheap entry-ticket, given many people already own an iPad anyway.
But Apple only seem to promote music apps that focus on tinkering with wacky visuals and which happen to produce some music or soundscape while doing so. A "music production" section in the appstore would certainly help.
Perhaps some mainstream magazines should add a (more substantial) iOS section to their issues (I'm thinking Sound On Sound, Keyboard Mag, Future Music, Stuff, etc.). That may peak the interest of synth heads and musicians who happen to have an iPad.
I know guys like Peter Kirn (CreateDigitalMusic) can really make a difference. He has an audience that is interested in music/sound innovation and are typically early adopters not afraid to branch out to unconventional platforms and novel concepts.
Something tells me the numbers in the desktop music software world are not even that amazing. I don't think Apple is losing much investment potential. Compare PAX to NAMM. The furry people have spoken.
I agree, I'd love to see more from pro users, backed by Apple advertising muscle to show what some music makers are missing out on. We know how good this stuff is, but it's yet to break into mainstream music making consciousness.
Not arguing with any of the TP's points, obviously I'm into this too and think it should be promoted. But I think it's just like with any specialized message board online: "Why doesn't _______ get more attention". It's just an extreme case of selection bias, because we are all here together only because we like "___________", and represent the top .01% of Apple users who are into this stuff.
Could they broaden that and use it to sell phones and accessories? Probably. But likely not moreso than focusing on TouchID, Apple Pencil, or any number of buzzwords and features they choose to emphasize towards a broader Apple-buying marketplace. As cool as I think iOS interfaces, synth apps, and DAW's, my parents and parents-in-law are 4 other Apple users who would have zero interest in that, and would glaze over if I even started trying to explain it. Heck, I've gotten that reaction trying to explain what I do with my iPhone/iPad to 30-year-olds who are both tech- and music-savvy.
Aleksey from Voxengo recently posted on KVR that his sales numbers have been steadily declining over the past few years. I'd imagine piracy would have a significant impact on desktop revenues which is why I'm surprised we haven't seen more of the traditional audio companies dip their toe into the iOS world.
Who knows? It could also just be market saturation in general. There are so many different Daws (and super affordable hardware) with different approaches. It's probably super fragmented just like every other entertainment related industry these days.
I'd like to reiterate one point in my original post. I don't know any of you on this forum really. But, I get the impression that the majority here are either musicians, or at least have some musical knowledge. I think there are a few like me who are fumbling noise-makers who get lucky every now and then
but I think we're in the minority.
The point was, I'm not the type of user who would typically seek out these sorts of audio tools. I'm primarily a photographer/visual artist. I more or less stumbled into the iOS music world by chance. Mostly because I wanted to add sound to my visual stuff, and I was tired of YouTube, etc. taking down my clips because some little bit wasn't cleared. And, I found most of the canned royalty-free stuff kinda bland, or never quite fit what I was after.. so I decided to see what it would take to try and make something I could use myself.
I'm more the type of user Apple targets all their pro-ipad video/photo/graphic art stuff to. So, there has to be a lot more users that fit my particular demographic out there, or Apple wouldn't be aggressively marketing to them.
If I'm spending more on iOS music apps as a non-musician, there has to be a sizable market of people like me that Apple isn't capitalizing on. If there are enough who fit my demographic to justify Apple's push on the graphics end of the scale, there must be enough potential market for the music stuff too. Just not sure why they're not capitalizing on it.
Though, when I saw that recent video of Tim Cook playing along with JJ Lin on some Chinese hip-hop... I thought maybe the tide was about to finally starting to turn a little for increasing mainstream iOS music app awareness. Perhaps?
I wager it is less than 1% of the games/movies/song sales and apple probably makes decisions based on fewer, large slices of the pie.
I am just glad they invest more than Commodore did in the Amiga tracker scene of the 80s/90s.
I would really like to know what percentage music app sales represent. I would be shocked if it was anything close to 1% or maybe even a 10th of 1%....
I'm not sure apple will step up to the plate.
I've been working with some SF developers brainstorming on an incubator structure that might give iOS devs business support so they can focus on their apps, and hopefully get the other support they need to stay afloat.
Be careful what you wish for. I rather like the whole Christians-in-the-catacombs aspect to this. I think you'll find that once real money is being made, all the apps lose their idiosyncracies and move toward a closed system, a la Hook or GarageBand. Or even — heresy! — Gadget.
We are in an interesting moment here. It reminds me of the birth of indie rock. There's lots of creativity going on, and so much of it feels vital. But if you want to reach the masses,, I hate to say it, but you need a good drummer and a great singer and professional production. The Melvins, Jesus Lizard, Polvo, Moonshake — all were vital to a small band of people who GOT IT. Nirvana? Also vital but the product was perfected. You didn't have to overlook shitty production to access the band.
The apps that we all love? So many of them are half-baked as Products. I mean, why should the designer of the app have ANYTHING to do with its visual aesthetic? That's like letting the bass player do the album cover because he has Photoshop on his work computer. (I'm looking at you, Modstep.)
To me, every ApeSoft app would benefit a tour through a design committee. They are so unfriendly and baffling to use. But obviously, that's where the joy is, in finding out how to make sound out of this living ultrasound image on you iPad.
I think they have stepped up as much as makes sense given the numbers. I just dont see them promoting to the unwashed masses 'hey guys you can make music' so much as just filling existing demands.
Free U2 sample packs for everyone..?
Haha. They're already on your iPad!
I've thought of this too... but as it stands, you have very talented (genius even) developers, who're lucky if they make enough to buy a new iPad and take their family out for pizza. Great apps come out, then devs realize how little profit there is, and then a genius app gets abandoned.
I think if Apple could pump a little more promo into the iOS music app sector, they could easily create enough extra juice to keep all the players floating happily.
With regard to ApeSoft's design... I respectfully disagree. I LOVE the minimal, scientific, cryptic look. Not always easy to figure out, but oh-so-much fun to explore. IMHO
Maybe if Apple paid tax on this planet, they'd actually might be eligible to join the human race.
Maybe iOS music (what is that anyway?) needs its own Teen Spirit.
They do frequently do just that, the recommended weapons being GarageBand Auxy Medly
a bunch of Smule apps and a random smattering of others.
Figure?
GO?
What I mean is introducing people to the idea of making music (ie. becoming musicians or composers) who would not otherwise have thought of it.
Good start would be to introduce at least two categories per 'app category'.
The music category could have a 'Learn & Create' and 'Enjoy & Cosume'.
The 'Enjoy & Consume' category could have all the 'stoopid artist fan apps', 'internet radio apps', 'music games', 'streaming apps'...
The 'Learn & Create' could have apps that content can be created with and also educational stuff.
In essence the apps in the 'Learn & Create' category could be used to created content for the 'Enjoy & Consume' category.
It's a real pain to find apps in certain category as it is now the filters and search tags are non-existant...
Personally I would love to have a 'watch-list' with multiple tags I specify and when an app meets those conditions I would get a notification... (These tags be 'Update/New', 'IAA' , 'Audio Unit' , 'AudioBus' , 'Developer Name' etc.).
Smells like Beatmaker 3?
Haha
I'm definitely nearer to your music making state than some of the talented peeps on here lol. Maybe I've just been fumbling with my noise making longer
Garageband would be the perfect starting point. It is crazy accessible for something with this many powerful features - it even hosts Audio Units. The Liveloops grid launcher is a lot of fun and the app is just as useful for making electronic music as it is for accompanying your highschool rockband.
We'll have to wait until tomorrow to hear what's going on with that