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Apple wanted to buy music battle series Verzuz before its acquisition

Credit: Verzuz

Apple sought to acquire livestreamed rap battle series Verzuz before the platform was bought by Triller, a move that could have brought more social components to Apple Music.

Although Apple didn't engage in a bidding war, it did provide an acquisition price for Verzuz. According to Bloomberg, Apple's offer fell short versus what Triller paid.

Created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, Verzuz is features two artists going head-to-head in a friendly musical showdown. The series became popular during the early months of the pandemic.

Verzuz also partnered with Apple Music in July 2020 in a deal that saw it stream its musical battles across both Instagram Live and the Apple Music app.

Although Verzuz was an experiment in pushing a more social feature for Apple Music, it wasn't the first. Apple Music initially had a Connect platform that could unite fans with artists, as well as a iTunes social network called Ping. Both were quickly discontinued.

The battle series was acquired by video sharing network Triller in March 2021 for an undisclosed price. Since the acquisition, Verzuz content is now streamed through the Triller app.

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