Q:

How did Apple create the blur behind the album cover in Apple Music?

It seems to be a blurred shadow, but I can't seem to find the right tools to re-create this. I've looked at ciImage but don't know a good way to start it. Guidance would be greatly appreciated!

A:

You could use UIImage and Core Image Filters (CIFilters) to achieve the effect.
By using two UIImageViews with the same image (or programatically duplicating the cover ImageView) and then applying a CIGaussianBlurFilter and a CIExposureAdjust to the one on the background. 
If you do it right, it could look like this. 
 

