Despite rumors that Apple could rebrand and relaunch Beats Music as soon as next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, a new report suggests that's unlikely, as the company apparently does not have the licensing deals finalized for such a change.
As it prepares to launch a new streaming music service, Apple is said to be pressuring music labels to force rivals like Spotify to abandon their free tiers — something that has apparently brought scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice.
A report on Wednesday claims Apple poached a handful of top producers from BBC Radio 1 to work on a secret streaming music service rumored to debut later this year, potentially as a rebranded Beats Music.
Apple may be intentionally slowing the release of updates to Tidal's iOS app in an attempt to weaken the music service ahead of an impending relaunch of Beats Music, a report said on Saturday.
References to a heretofore unknown "iTunes Subscription" service showed up in the iTunes desktop client on Friday, potentially revealing a few details of a rumored Apple-branded streaming music solution said to launch sometime this year.
Apple on Tuesday updated several of its official iOS apps — including the iWork suite — with minor improvements, but most significantly added Apple Watch support to Keynote, allowing remote control of presentations.
Apple is reportedly preparing to launch its revamped streaming music service with a two-tiered subscription plan that would give families a discount, while engaging in talks to secure exclusive content from artists including Taylor Swift and Florence and the Machine.
With Apple expected to rebrand and relaunch its acquired Beats Music service this summer, the company has already come under the watchful eye of the European Union, which has begun probing the company's plans even before the product is made official.
Following Monday's reveal of Jay Z's upcoming music service Tidal, the rap star revealed he was in talks with Beats cofounder and current Apple exec Jimmy Iovine over potentially collaborating on the project.
Tidal, a music streaming service recently bought by rapper Jay-Z, is due to relaunch later today and will allegedly be backed by artist exclusives that could threaten Apple's planned rebranding of Beats Music.
A report on Wednesday claims Apple is moving forward with a long rumored overhaul of its streaming music services lineup that will incorporate a reworked Beats Music app developed with the help of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, as well as a revamped iTunes Radio service.
Revenue from music streaming is now overshadowing CD sales in the US, according to new data published by the Recording Industry Association of America on Thursday, signalling a sea-change in favor of services like Spotify, Pandora, and Beats Music.
Rap icon Jay Z has officially taken control of Swedish Internet firm Aspiro, which markets subscription streaming services WiMP and Tidal, direct competitors of Apple's Beats Music.
As it continues to negotiate with music labels on a rumored Beats Music relaunch, Apple has reportedly surrendered on one of its key initiatives: lowering the cost of the rebooted service to $8 per month.
When Apple launches a rebranded Beats Music later this year, the streaming service may not have an ad-supported free tier, according to a new report, citing sources who allegedly spoke with Apple's Eddy Cue and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine.
Apple's ambitions in the music industry go beyond competing with the likes of streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, signaling that the acquisition of the Beats Music subscription service is just a part of the company's plans to overhaul iTunes.
Struggling Japanese electronics maker Sony has conceded defeat in the digital music market, announcing on Wednesday that it will close its cross-platform Music Unlimited service at the end of March and refer customers to another iTunes & Beats Music competitor, Spotify.
Apple's acquisition of streaming service Beats Music looms large over the latest music sales data, showing once again that the industry is trending away from sales of digital songs and albums.
Expanding on one of the most successful promotions in iTunes history, Beats cofounder Jimmy Iovine is reportedly negotiating with a number of artists to unveil upcoming albums exclusively on Beats Music, hoping to replicate the blockbuster launch of Beyoncé's eponymous LP on iTunes last year.
Billboard's influential music chart is about to step into the 21st century as the company announced it will soon include metrics from on-demand Internet streaming services like Apple's Beats Music to its Billboard 200 album rankings.
{{ summary }}
Neil Hughes
Roger Fingas
Mikey Campbell
AppleInsider Staff
Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
