Apple Music upgrades album catalog by showing 'Other Versions'
Amber Neely
Apple has started to roll out its "Other Versions" feature for Apple Music, offering subscribers of the music streaming service the option to listen to songs from alternate versions or secondary deluxe releases of an artist's albums.
Surfacing on Tuesday, the update to Apple Music adds an extra section to the album view, below the playlist for the album and above the "More by" section. The area, titled "Other Versions," gives the opportunity to listen to a different version of the selected album, one that typically may include or exclude specific tracks from the artist.
A common alternate version of an album is a "Deluxe" version, which usually adds a few more tracks or remixes to the playlist. Viewing a deluxe version will offer the same new section, but will display the original album release instead. The alternate versions can also include explicit and censored editions, alternate artwork, and anniversary releases.
While the rollout of the feature was first reported by MacStories, it is still propagating throughout the service, with not all users seeing the extra option. At the time of publication, most of AppleInsider's editorial see "Other Versions" working fine, while the others are still waiting for it to appear.
The feature was first offered as part of the Beats streaming service, which Apple acquired as part of its $3 billion Beats acquisition in 2014. While Beats Music was turned into Apple Music, the handy album organizational feature was eliminated as part of the changeover, and has taken quite a few years to resurface.
Christine McKee
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4 Comments
Does this mean I can undo all the incorrect versions it linked in iTunes Match?
How do I access tracks from "other versions" albums using Siri on the HomePod?
The Music library on my primary Mac is actually a hot mess with duplicates, individual songs from compilations sliced off into dozens of single song albums, ghosts of songs/albums that cannot be downloaded (even with iTunes Match), albums that suddenly disappear or can no longer play due to artist's leaving Apple Music, Apple Music not recognizing albums I ripped into iTunes from CDs I purchased, etc.
It's like grandma with dementia designed the database that's backing my iTunes/Apple Music library. If I was really OCD about having a music library that was organized and actually made sense, my brains would be splattered all over the ceiling. For my own sanity and the protection of the general public I've simply reconciled myself to living with the hot mess that has always been iTunes/Music app on my Mac and finding other things to worry about instead. At some point I'll probably catch up with grandma and gaze in wonder at the genius that is Apple Music and its Neanderthal parents, iTunes. We'll see.
What I would like is a Collections option to have a virtual record collection of one artist (or many), for example having all Rush albums displayed in an album artwork view but arrangeable by me. Playlists don’t work for this type of organization so I propose “Collections”. Another example would be having all Van Halen albums without Sammy Hagar in one collection. Being able to visually navigate yet play all in a collection would be nice.