Apple Music has introduced a new feature that allows users to seamlessly transfer playlists, albums, and saved songs from other streaming platforms, including Spotify. After months of beta testing in Australia and New Zealand, the playlist transfer tool is now available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, and Mexico.
How to Transfer Playlists to Apple Music
The tool, found under Music Settings → Transfer Music from Other Music Services, lets subscribers log into another platform and import their playlists directly. Apple partnered with SongShift to power this migration, ensuring a smooth transfer of user-created playlists.
If the in-app option does not appear, Apple provides an alternative via music.apple.com. After signing in, users can select Transfer Music from their profile menu to start the process. Apple Music attempts to match songs from its catalog, and any unmatched items are flagged for review. Notably, only playlists created by users—not auto-generated ones—can be imported.
Spotify Faces Growing Artist Backlash
Apple’s rollout comes at a turbulent time for rival Spotify. Over the past months, several high-profile indie and experimental artists have announced their departure from the platform. Bands like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, Hotline TNT, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor have criticized Spotify’s leadership and ethical practices.
The controversy centers around Spotify CEO Daniel Ek’s investment fund, Prima Materia, which has poured money into Helsing, a defense company developing AI-driven military technologies. This move has sparked outrage among artists who oppose funding ties to weapons technology. Many musicians are encouraging fans to cancel their Spotify subscriptions and seek alternatives like Apple Music.
What This Means for the Future of Streaming
With artists leaving Spotify and Apple Music introducing user-friendly features like playlist transfers, competition in the music streaming market is heating up. Apple’s latest update lowers the barrier for users who want to switch platforms without losing their carefully curated music libraries.
This shift may also push other streaming services to develop similar tools, making platform loyalty less rigid and empowering listeners to choose services that align with their values. As Apple expands the transfer tool to more countries, it could accelerate a broader movement of users reconsidering where they stream their music.