I use Jriver to listen or Roon these days, I use DB power amp to rip and I get annoyed with I tunes which you can't delete and keeps popping up every time I insert a cd in my disc drive.

In general though I own a mac mini and mac lap tops I do not use Itunes with the exception of music listening on my phone as Iphones do not work well with other applications.

As a result I steadfastly refuse to buy any music from the apple music store and I will not be changing that stance until apple actually gives up managing my rights with music I pay for. Now in this case I was not moving the music off the phone, or doing anything with it other than listening to it but I was reminded that any music that I bought from Itunes is still their music not mine and we all just rent it from them while they tell us what we can and can not do with it. As i was trying to use the app, I noticed that music on my play list was now blanked out and I got messages about DRM rights etc. The app was designed to take your I tunes play list and improves the sound, has some equalizing tools and a richer sound that I tunes. I created a playlist on Itunes (really the only option on an Iphone) but I wanted to listen to that music via a an Onkyo music app I discovered at AXPONA several years ago. I recently during a workout was reminded of why I hate apple music. I'd rather buy music from HD Tracks, or Quobuz, or cd's from Amazon, Hi rez downloads from Sony music etc because the music is mine to move from drives I own to other drives I own for listening purposes. In essence not allowing you to actually own music you paid for. I stopped using I tunes a long time ago and I have steadfastly refused to sign up for apple music as Apple continues to try to control what I do with music I paid for.

I think that apple has missed the most important issue, that of the right to do what I want with music files that I have paid for. I recently read an article in Stereophile about Apple's big announcement with respect to their music player, that they would be offering cd quality or higher finally etc in their music store and whether as well as surround sound etc and the article as I recall raised the question as to whether this would be enough to get audiophile's on board.

Jriver apple music