Apple said to be planning early international rollout of streaming music service

Beats Music (teaser 003)

Russia is going to be among the first countries where Apple will launch its revamped Beats Music service, according to Billboard. The publication points to a report from local outlet Vedomosti, who cites several sources claiming that the company is in negotiations with Russian record labels regarding the service.

The fact that Apple is eyeing Russia for an early streaming music launch isn’t alone significant—its slowing economy and struggling ruble have deterred other services like Spotify from entering the countries—but what is interesting is that it sounds like the company is planning on a quick international rollout.

Due to content licensing complications, Apple has had problems in the past pushing music-related services beyond the United States. For example, iTunes Radio launched Stateside in the fall of 2013, and after nearly two years of speculation on its expansion, it’s still only available in the US and Australia.

It sounds like things may change next month, however. Apple is widely expected to unveil a new music streaming service based on the Beats Music platform during its WWDC keynote. Rumors have suggested the service will feature lengthy trial periods, extensive curation features, and Ping-like social network.

Source: Billboard