• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, June 10, 2015

In addition to possibly taking a bite out of the streaming music business, the new Apple Music app unveiled on Tuesday may well come to dominate music-related social media thanks to its new social network feature, Connect, which provides a place for musicians and fans to communicate about the music they love. Connect could even become a platform for music publishing, giving the beleaguered traditional music industry yet another thing to worry about.

Apple Music is basically the new, expanded version of Beats Music, acquired by Apple for $3 billion last year. An Apple Music premium subscription costs subscribers $9.99 per month and offers streaming access to the iTunes music library, while the free service gives access to Apple Music radio stations.

Adding a social network was a logical strategic decision in order to compete with the likes of Spotify, Rdio, and Pandora, all of which integrate social sharing. According to Apple, “Through Connect, artists can share lyrics, backstage photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fans directly from their iPhone. Fans can comment on or like anything an artist has posted, and share it via Messages, Facebook, Twitter and email.”

The music publishing angle is particularly intriguing, and already seems to be getting some traction with artists: according to Inquisitr, rapper-producer-heartthrob Drake is going to release his new album on Connect.

Of course not everything Apple touches turns to gold. In fact the tech giant previously made an unsuccessful foray into musical social media with Ping, launched in 2010 as a social network adjunct to iTunes, and shuttered in 2012 after failing to set the world on fire.