Beats Music

New ‘Apple Music’ streaming service to feature three-month free trial

Apple's upcoming streaming music service will offer a lengthy free trial period to new users, according to the Financial Times. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, the outlet says that 'Apple Music' will be free for the first 3 months.

Apple hopes the extended trial period will give users plenty of time to immerse themselves in the service, making it harder to cancel. For comparison, Spotify currently offers a 30-day free trial, and Rdio's Unlimited trial period lasts just 2 days.

Apple still missing key licensing deals ahead of rumored Beats Music relaunch

Apple is really cutting it close if it wants to relaunch Beats Music at its developer conference next month. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, Billboard reports that it is still missing a number of key licensing deals it would need to secure to unveil a new streaming music service.

"A June launch is still attainable," one source tells Billboard. "If any company can do it, they can." However, another source at a major record label tells the publication that there is no way Apple will be able to pull off a June launch for the new service, saying simply that "the deals aren't done."

Apple approaching Taylor Swift and other artists for deals to promote Beats Music

Apple has asked Taylor Swift and more than a dozen other artists for exclusive deals to promote its incoming revamped Beats Music service, reports Bloomberg. The company hopes that such deals, particularly with Swift—who has pulled her music from other services—will help attract new users in the increasingly crowded streaming music space.

The move is similar to that of Tidal, the Jay-Z-owned cloud music service that launched earlier this month, and could be the start of a new trend in the space. Artists have long been fed-up with tech firms like Spotify, Pandora and others who pay them the minimum royalty rate, and seem to finally be ready to take matters into their own hands.

New report sheds light on Apple’s ambitious music plans

Apple doesn't just want to compete in the music business, it wants to be the music business, according to a new report from Billboard. Citing sources with knowledge of the matter, the outlet has shed some light on the company's ambitious plans for the record industry.

Beats co-founder and Apple executive Jimmy Iovine has apparently been holding secret meetings with senior executives from many record labels in recent weeks. The discussions are of course protected by non-disclosure agreements, but details are beginning to trickle out.

Apple in talks with record labels to lower Beats Music fees

Apple is working to bring down the fees associated with Beats Music, reports Recode. The site says the company is speaking with major record labels about a new set of rights and features it would like to include in a revamped version of the streaming music service for less than $10 per month.

Discussions are in their early stages, as Apple isn't launching the overhauled Beats Music service until next year, but some critics wonder just how successful the firm will be in convincing folks in the music industry to agree to a price cut on a product they never wanted to exist in the first place.

Apple rumored to unveil rebranded Beats Music service in February

Following up on yesterday's news that Apple is looking to sunset the Beats Music brand, Recode reports today that Apple has picked a timeframe for when it wants to unveil the new service. The site says it hopes to make the introduction sometime in early February, possibly time to the Grammy Awards.

Recode's John Paczkowski hedges on the claim, calling it "a guess backed up by some industry scuttlebutt," but given his track record in predicting Apple's plans, we'd be crazy not to pay attention. The one thing he hasn't heard, however, is what the company plans on calling the new subscription service.

Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers to head iTunes Radio at Apple

Following the completion of Apple's Beats acquisition today, the Wall Street Journal reports on a major position appointment for the two companies. Apparently, Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers (left) has been assigned to lead Apple's iTunes Radio team.

Citing sources familiar with the situation, the outlet says that Rogers will head up both streaming services at the company. He's been tasked with creating cohesion between the two offerings, to better compete with services like Pandora and Spotify...

Apple to announce $3 billion Beats acquisition this week

Apple has remained mum on rumors that it's looking to acquire Beats Electronics, but it appears it's finally ready to break the silence. The New York Post reports tonight that the Cupertino firm is expected to announce the acquisition within the next few days.

Perhaps even more interesting is that the Post says Apple has managed to trim some $200 million off the price tag during the past two weeks of negotiation. According to the outlet's sources, the company has reached a deal to buy Beats for an even $3 billion...

Billboard: Apple-Beats deal delayed due to valuation, role uncertainties

Billboard is out with a new report this weekend, claiming that it's learned why the Apple-Beats acquisition has not been announced yet. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says that there are at least 5 things holding up the deal.

First, the buyout is 'complicated.' With this being Apple's largest purchase ever, the folks in Cupertino want to make sure they cross every t and dot every i. And second, the iPad-maker was nowhere near ready for details of the negotiations to leak...

New report says Apple-Beats deal was close to falling apart, but is still on

It's been two weeks since we first received word that Apple was looking to acquire Beats Electronics, and we still haven't heard a peep about the sale from either company. Some folks have taken the silence as a sign talks had broken down, but a new report says that's not the case.

According to TechCrunch, sources with knowledge of the deal say that Apple's planned multi-billion dollar acquisition of headphone maker Beats will go through. The outlet does note, however, that negotiations have been bumpy and close to falling apart on multiple occasions...

Rumor: Apple will tap Beats to introduce high-res iTunes music, improve In-Ear Headphones

Apple's purported acquisition of Beats Electronics, LCC has set the tongues wagging as pundits race to offer their armchair analysis of the grand strategy behind Apple's alleged $3.2 billion deal.

The latest in the Apple-Beats saga comes via the rather reliable Japanese blog Macotakara which earlier this morning asserted that Apple will use Beats to introduce support for high-resolution audio files in iTunes and the iOS Music app and also improve sound quality of its pricey pricey $79 In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic...

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to take on senior roles at Apple after Beats buyout

The Wall Street Journal added some new details to the Apple-Beats discussion last night, reporting that Beats co-founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are likely to take on senior roles at the Cupertino company following the high profile acquisition.

Now, just what exactly they'll be doing at Apple is still unclear. It sounds like the positions are not going to be full time, with the pair commuting from Los Angeles—where Beats is headquartered—to Cupertino, and other places if necessary...