iTunes Radio

Apple reportedly testing iTunes Radio as a standalone iOS 8 app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

According to a new report by the well-connected Apple blogger Mark Gurman, the iPhone maker is testing iTunes Radio as a standalone iOS 8 app.

iTunes Radio is currently part of the stock Music app in iOS 7 and moving it to a standalone app is said to be a way of boosting usage, according to sources briefed on the plans. This should allow users to more quickly access iTunes Radio and, which will come pre-installed in iOS 8.

The UI of the standalone iTunes Radio app is said to be "nearly identical" to its iOS Music counterpart, with the Home screen icon resembling a terrestrial radio graphic atop a red background...

iTunes Radio now the third most popular streaming music service in US

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

A new report from Edison Research says that iTunes Radio has become the third most popular streaming music service in the US. The marketing research firm says that Apple's Radio service, which is less than 6 months old, just surpassed Spotify to take the #3 spot.

According to the data iTunes Radio now sits behind Pandora, who has 31% of the US streaming music market, and iHeartRadio, which has 9%. Then it comes in at 8%, Spotify at 6% and both Google Play All Access and Rhapsody come in at 3% and 2% respectively...

New ‘AirPlay Recorder’ Mac app lets you save songs from iTunes Radio

Cody Lee ∙ February 17, 2014

DoubleTwist, the maker of the popular doubleTwist Media Player and AirSync, the app that lets you wirelessly sync your iTunes data, has released a new app for the Mac today. It's called AirPlay Recorder, and it's designed to record audio using AirPlay.

The app first appeared on Android back in January, and it essentially tricks iTunes into thinking it is an AirPlay device so that it will start streaming music. From there it records audio—including that from Apple's recently launched iTunes Radio service...

Apple launches iTunes Radio in Australia

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple has officially launched its streaming music service iTunes Radio in Australia this morning, making it the first non-U.S. country to gain access to the service since it was introduced last fall.

It was reported in October that Apple had plans to rollout iTunes Radio to the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand in early 2014, and this appears to be the first step of that International push...

iTunes Radio reportedly working for some UK users

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Good news for all of you folks across the pond. There have been reports coming in for the past several hours that [some] iTunes users in the UK and other countries have been able to access and listen to iTunes Radio on their iPhones.

Since its launch last fall, iTunes Radio has been limited to users in the United States. But Apple has said that it is a top priority to get the streaming music service into other countries this year, and it looks like they're preparing a roll out...

You can now control iTunes Radio via Remote app

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2013

After refreshing its free Remote app for the iPhone and iPad with some radical redesign to match the overall iOS 7 aesthetics, Apple has just put out a minor update adding a nicely done ability to control iTunes Radio from your iOS device.

But rather than stream iTunes Radio songs directly (and what would the point be in doing so knowing iTunes Radio is available within the stock iOS 7 Music app), the application simply controls the feature running in iTunes for Mac or Windows.

Previously, you could only control playback of music and other media kept locally in your iTunes library. If anything, this update will go down in history as a handy little enhancement that makes it ridiculously easy to control your iTunes Radio stations, skip songs and more, right across the room...

Apple poaches top radio exec to lead iTunes Radio ad sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

In another move meant to capitalize on the success of its free iTunes Radio streaming-music service, Apple's hired a top radio exec as the company preps to offer iTunes Radio to advertisers in 2014 and take the service international, AdAge claims.

Former Cumulus Media Executive Vice President of Sales, Michael Pallad, has now joined Tim Cook & Co. and is now overseeing ad sales for iTunes Radio internationally, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to AdAge. He will report into the iAd unit, which is led by Apple Vice President and former Yahoo exec Todd Teresi...

Spotify reportedly planning to introduce free mobile music service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 23, 2017

Spotify is reportedly planning to launch a free mobile music service. According to a new report by The Wall Street Journal, the Sweden-based company has reached licensing deals with all three of the global music companies to use their recordings.

Spotify currently offers a free service for desktop and laptop computers, and offers a Pandora-like radio feature via its mobile app. But this new service would allow smartphone and tablet users to play a limited number of songs on-demand, with ads...

Pandora says listening has increased 9% since iTunes Radio debut

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 14, 2017

Since Apple launched iTunes Radio back in September, industry watchers have kept a close eye on competing streaming music services. After all, the Cupertino company has the resources and user base to put a huge dent in the business.

But apparently the opposite has happened for Pandora. The company's CFO Michael Herring spoke yesterday at a Morgan Stanley conference in San Francisco, and he says listening has increased 9% since iTunes Radio made its debut...

Pandora: we do streaming radio better than anyone – including Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

When iTunes Radio was only a rumor, the idea of Apple offering streaming music was instantly dubbed a Pandora-killer. Now that iTunes Radio has launched alongside iOS 7 last month, Pandora's finance chief is speaking out, saying their service outperforms even a giant-killer, no matter how fat the bank account.

In an interview, Pandora CFO Mike Herring describes Apple's service as a "credible" threat, but the Internet radio startup continues to feel it still is "better than anybody else"...

Apple serves blog with takedown notice over posting iTunes Radio contract

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 15, 2013

Most of Apple's legal actions happen with other multi-billion tech firms. But sometime, the Cupertino, California company likes to scare to scare the pants off small fry. Take for example Digital Music News (DMN), which Sunday yielded to demands by Apple, removing a copy of an iTunes Radio contract.

The contract, first published by DMN in June, showed how Apple "forced sub-standard terms" on independent music publishers. Apple claimed publication of the contract violated copyright laws, a claim one law professor described as "a jerk move."

Was Apple protecting copyrights or again using legal muscle to manage its corporate image?

Bloomberg: iTunes Radio heading to UK, Canada and more in early 2014

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Bloomberg is reporting this evening that it has learned Apple is working to rollout iTunes Radio to the UK, Canada and other countries by early 2014. The music service, which launched last month, is currently only available in the US.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says that Apple has acquired the necessary licenses from labels to take its service international next year—likely beating Pandora and other competitors to several countries...