It's not clear what Apple's move towards streaming will mean for musicians.

The tech giant is dumping its iconic iTunes service in favour of Apple Music, putting more emphasis on listening to music over the internet rather than downloading audio files to keep.

Digital Rights Management's Andy Lowe told Heather du Plessis-Allan buying music files means more money for artists upfront.

But he says streaming can provide an ongoing source of income for artists.

"Since there is now affordable, readily available method of interacting with all this music right at your fingertips, we've seen a massive decrease in illegal downloading."

Lowe says that it is not quite the 'flick of a switch' that will radically change how people listen to music, as Apple Music will be there in the place of the iTunes brand. 

He says that the ability to have your own music files in your library will still be available.

 

 

• Apple announces big changes, including no more iTunes