Tag: beats music app

Apple Expected to Fine-Tune its Music Service

As the WWDC excitement continues, we can see that Apple is expected to make new announcements of its breakthrough in technology. The tech giants always make new disclosures at the Worldwide Developers Conference and this year, we hope to see the company’s new revamped streaming service, against the likes of Spotify and Pandora.

Apple’s acquisition of Beats for $3.2 billion had a reason last year in May. We can now see what the reason was. The company’s new streaming music service- Apple Music- will be based on the service of Beats Music. Explaining how Beats will reshape Apple’s digital music, the company has made a musician the main man for overhauling the music streaming service. Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails, who was the chief creative officer for Beats, had been playing a major role in designing the music app, along with two other Apple employees.

Sony Chief Executive, Doug Morris, who also shares a long history with Beats Co-Founder and Apple Music Boss, Jimmy Iovine, announced ‘It’s happening tomorrow’ to the audience at the Midem Music Conference in Cannes.

Apple plans to retain the idea of asking people their favourite genres of music when signing up. Not much detail was revealed by Morris, but it is expected to be priced at $9.99/month for individuals and $14.99/month for the family plan with a three-month free trial period with ads. Morris said that Apple’s entry into the paid subscription market would majorly shift the industry from downloads to streaming.

Morris said:

What does Apple bring to this? Well, they’ve got $178 billion dollars in the bank. And they have 800 million credit cards in iTunes. Spotify has never really advertised because it’s never been profitable. My guess is that Apple will promote this like crazy, and I think that will have a halo effect on the streaming business.

If the service is stashed along with the upcoming iOS 9 and is being offered for a free trial, this could guarantee millions of customers for Apple.

While iTunes had changed the way music was sold, the new streaming service will help Apple build an exclusive relationship with artists and labels. Apple has been approaching big name artists reportedly, like Taylor Swift, to sign up to guest DJ on a revamped iTunes Radio service, or enter into an exclusive streaming partnership.

June 8, 2015
Apple’s Newest iOS Update Comes With A Revamped Music Player

Apple Watch had almost flooded the news as it came close to its releasing on April. Now, after clearing out most of the hassle and confusion, Apple has now again begun to concentrate on its software. Today, Apple has released the third beta of iOS 8.4 for developers. Apple has been testing different beta groups of iOS 8.4 since the release of iOS 8.3 in mid-April.

Major updates include a revamped music app that is described as more powerful and elegant than before, Up Next Functionality, a redesigned MiniPlayer look for ‘Now Playing’ and a new improved version of iTunes Radio.

The new design of the music app will show pictures of the artist in the Artist View. Within the Music App, there are personalized playlists and global search capabilities that make it easier to search for music. The newest toggle included in the Music App is the Offline Option which shows any music that is stored offline. The iTunes Radio has had a few interface changes too, like a new font for ‘Recently Played’ and some more new fonts for each iTunes Radio category.

The update is available via OTA update and through the iOS Developer Centre. It is highly possible that Apple might release a new version of its iOS and OS X 10.11 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, which is scheduled to take place in 8^th June.

May 12, 2015
Report: Apple to Offer Free Exclusive Tracks on its Upcoming Music Streaming Service

Time and again, we are hearing about Apple’s refurbished music streaming service ‘Beats Music’. Earlier we heard of it pairing up with renowned American bands and artists like Taylor Swift, Florence and the Machine, but Apple has a couple of surprises before it makes Beats Music public. It was widely reported that the Cupertino-based tech firm will charge $8 for a monthly subscription, but it seems like now Beats Music users will find a free streaming option as well.

According to a report by Recode, some industry sources have confirmed a free trial period where users can listen to some tracks without paying for it. This testing period may range from one to three months depending on the negotiating deals with music labels. Under these negotiations, the music owners will be free to upload a sampling of their tracks, which users can listen for free without subscribing. It will be somewhat like SoundCloud which offers free music as YouTube offers video. There will also be a new version of iTunes Radio featuring human-curated playlist.

Apple also clarified it would never be like other free music streaming services like Spotify and Pandora that offer unlimited tracks without any charge. It is against advertising programme as promotion-supported free streaming doesn’t make much money, as per the company.

Last year, Apple acquired Beats Electronics and Beats Music for $3 billion. The service was launched only a few months earlier. The world’s most valuable company is gearing to tweak the service and release it sometime this year. Apple already enjoys a dominance in music downloads from its iTunes, now it aims to kick out the newly formed Tidal founded by Jay Z and several other music titans.

The Beats Music is scheduled to launch this summer at a competitive price of $9.99/month for individuals, while a family plans will cost $14.99/month. It is speculated that Apple might opt for a different name for its streaming service.

May 9, 2015
Apple’s New Beats Music Streaming Service is Reportedly Coming to Android

Some six months back, Apple bought the popular audio equipment brand Beats and at that time it wasn’t clear how and where the company going to use it. But now, Apple has started revamping the popular Beats Music streaming service and according to a report, the company will launch the new paid streaming service on the Android platform.

The recent service is entirely designed by Apple and infuses Beat technology and music content under the hood. Based on cloud streaming, the yet unnamed service is centered around the user’s music library. A new search feature is embedded within the app that helps locate songs in the iTunes/Beats catalog. Along with that users will be able to stream music and add songs to their personal library from the catalog itself.

Not only this, but also it is thinking of integrating Beats Music’s Playlist, Activities, and other features to let users access an already prepared music library. There is also news that the company will update Beats’ social networking feature so that people can follow other users and artists.

The service, expected to be priced $7.99 per month, will compete with the already popular apps like Spotify and Rdio, which cost $9.99 per month each.

A Beats Music app is already available for download on the Google Play Store, but it is not the tweaked version. The company has no plans to develop a new app for Microsoft’s platform.

The new service will mark Apple’s first-time effort to build an in-house Android application. It’s not astonishing, and the company could have focused on Android-based apps as Android audience is far widespread than the iOS.

There is no notification about when and on which platform (iOS or Android) it is going to release, but rumours have surfaced that it will release in March this year. There is a possibility that the new Beats Music app may release alongside Apple watch, but these are mere speculations as of now.

February 5, 2015
Apple is About to Add Some Beats to its iOS Devices

Apple’s acquisition was a big news for the music industry. This multi-billion dollar deal gave Hip-Hop its first billionaire in Dr. Dre. There were no clear directions though as to what the company was planning to do with the popular audio equipment brand. Looks like the first step in the Apple-Beats saga is about to unveil itself. Financial Times reports that the Cupertino-based tech giant will be integrating Beats Music app on all the iPhone and iPads.

Beats Music is a subscription-based music service that uses algorithms to curate music according to your interests. Beats also has tie-ups with some of the major labels in the music industry and thus, has a huge library of songs that you can listen. The songs are downloadable, so you can listen to the tunes when you are not online. The service will be a part of the default offerings of Apple such as iMovie, Garageband amongst others.

By forcing the Beats Music on its customers, Apple will be benefitting a lot. The company already has iTunes that let you buy music, but with this music streaming service, the company can take on market leaders like Spotify. Be ready for some Apple power, dear music industry.

November 20, 2014