The long-anticipated Spotify rival Beats Music features a combination of human and computer curation to provide subscribers with playlists that can be time- or mood-specific, "just for you", or compiled by respected music publications.

With the launch of its paid-for subscription service, which features 'expert curation' and a free 24-hour radio station, Apple is getting serious about music. With a pool of 800 million iTunes accounts to potentially convert from, Apple Music could very quickly become the market leader.

With the arrival of Apple Music, continued growth of Spotify, and a vinyl revival, it’s clear that the music business is in a state of flux. So how will the way we find, play and share music change in the future? In the first of two reports we see how Spotify and vinyl are shaping the industry.

In March 2015, a little-known boutique music streaming service became the most talked about thing in the music press. Jay Z’s acquisition and relaunch of Tidal was met with ambivalence at best, ridicule at worst. Yet beyond the uproar, Tidal provides clues about how people like their music.