The wait for an Apple-centric solution to cloud-based music streaming is almost over.

Apple released iTunes Match to those enrolled in its developer program. Today’s announcement included a short video tour of the service, which is available only to those who are running iOS 10.5 Beta 6.1 and were quick enough to grab one of few beta subscriptions Apple offered.

iTunes Match works in conjunction with Apple iCloud, which allows users to store iTunes playlists remotely. With iTunes Match, you don’t have to store music files on your iDevice; they’re simply streamed from the cloud. You do have the option to download tracks, as the video shows.

We haven’t heard much about iTunes Match since it was revealed at WWDC 2011. The service costs $24.99 a year and allows a maximum of 25,000 songs or as much as 250 gigs of space assuming songs are 4 minutes long and compressed at 320 kbps.

Of course, iTunes Match isn’t the first streaming music option. Ten bucks a month gets you a subscription to Rdio, which offers an iPhone and iPad app. Rdio also features a great playlist collaborating and sharing feature. Spotify, also available for $10 a month for the premium version, offers convenient offline syncing in its iOS and Android apps.

At $25 a year, iTunes Match is a significantly cheaper option, though.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with iTunes Match and similar services is the demise of unlimited data plans means streaming your tunes takes a big bite out of monthly data usage. If you want to stream freely, make sure you’re connected to a good Wi-Fi connection.

If you’re hoping to score a beta version of iTunes Match, keep checking back over the next few days, as Apple will continue to expand its beta testing pool.

via Insanely Great Mac

Image: Jim Merithew/Wired.com