Beats Music

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

Cody Lee ∙ April 10, 2015

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.

Jay Z suggests Apple’s Jimmy Iovine tried to lure artists from Tidal

Jake Smith ∙ March 31, 2015

Following the re-launch of Tidal on Monday, now music streaming boss Shawn "Jay Z" Carter suggested in an interview with Billboard that Apple's Jimmy Iovine had been trying to lure artists from the new service.

Jay Z, other prominent artists look to take over music streaming with Tidal

Jake Smith ∙ March 30, 2015

Shawn "Jay Z" Carter has banded together a formation of artists looking to take on the music streaming industry with Tidal, the music streaming company he bought for $56 million. With fierce competition from Spotify, Google, Rdio, and soon Apple, Jay Z has put together an elite list of artists that want the value of music to be recognized again. The group detailed their plans at a media event on Monday evening.

NY Times: Apple/Beats music streaming service to rival Spotify, iTunes Radio overhaul coming

Jake Smith ∙ March 25, 2015

Stating what's pretty close to the obvious, the New York Times reports the teams at Apple and Beats are working on a digital music service to directly compete with Spotify, one year after the Cupertino-based company paid $3 billion for the headphone maker. It won't bring lower prices than its competitors, the publication says, and is currently being planned for launch this year.

Apple hiring people with ‘specific expertise in music journalism’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Ahead of a rumored revamp of the Beats Music service it had obtained as part of its $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, Apple is now hiring people with a background in music and pop culture commentary, Music Ally reported Monday.

The company is looking to hire a London-based individual with “a specific expertise in music journalism” who must be a “seasoned writer with broad pop culture background.”

New report sheds light on Apple’s ambitious music plans

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

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 could bring new music service to iOS in coming months thanks to iOS 8.4

Jake Smith ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple plans to release iOS 8.4 in the coming months, and it could include Apple's new music streaming service, 9to5mac wrote in a report on Monday.

While iOS 8.3 hasn't even hit the public scene, iOS 8.4 is currently in development at Apple, and is codenamed Copper after a popular ski resort in Colorado.

Beats Music revamp details: deep iOS integration, Android app and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 4, 2015

Back in September, Re/code learned that Apple was looking to unveil a reworked, re-branded Beats Music service in early February of this year, possibly even in time for the Grammy Awards.

Now 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman casts new light on Apple's plans for Beats Music, revealing in his Wednesday morning report that a yet-to-be-named music service will be paid for, entirely Apple-designed and based on Beats’ technologies and music content.

Apple acquires British media analytics company Semetric ahead of Beats Music relaunch

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 21, 2015

According to The Guardian newspaper Wednesday, Apple has acquired British media analytics firm Semetric ahead of Beats Music relaunch.

Semetric's Musicmetric analytics tool, launched in 2008, is used by record labels to track digital sales, streams and social networking statistics for artists.

It even tracks BitTorrent downloads. The service could become part of Beats Music streaming service relaunch later this year, speculates the report.

Apple’s Beats Music reportedly wants to fuel engagement with exclusive album releases

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple's Beats Music, with Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre at the helm, is looking to form partnerships with artists for exclusive releases, mirroring success iTunes has had in the past, reports New York Post.

Specific artists haven't been named, however Beats Music has strong partnerships with artists already, from its promotion and endorsements of Beats headphones. Nicki Minaj frequently stars with Beats products in her music videos. Will.i.am, Pharrell, Kanye West and Gwen Stefani are said to be friends of Iovine and Beats lovers.

Billboard to begin incorporating streaming services in top 200 chart

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

On Wednesday, December 3, Billboard says it will premiere its biggest upgrade to its 200 chart in more than 23 years. The chart, which currently tracks the top 200 albums of the week by sales, will be the first to include on-demand streaming and digital track sales.

To do this, the chart will incorporate streaming service data measured by Nielsen Entertainment by way of a new algorithm. Billboard says it's the "most substantial methodology update since 1991," when Billboard began using point-of-sale data to measure album sales.

FT: Apple to bundle Beats Music with iOS next year

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 19, 2014

As Apple continues to migrate Beats Music to iTunes servers ahead of a major service overhaul, The Financial Times newspaper is reporting that the iPhone maker is looking to bundle the subscription music service into its iOS mobile operating system “early next year”.

If true, Spotify will have plenty to worry about because Beats Music would become instantly available on hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads without requiring a download.