Apple working on new music-streaming service, will integrate Beats Music: report

Apple will launch a new music-streaming service soon that will integrate Beat Music’s technology and music content, according to an exclusive report on 9to5Mac. The report points out that Apple will “deeply integrate Beats into iOS, iTunes, and the Apple TV,” and launch a new music app with Beats infused in it. The app will rely on cloud streaming. It also points out that “a new search feature will be able to locate any song in the iTunes/Beats catalog, and users will be able to stream music from the catalog as well as add songs to their personal libraries”. Apple has taken over the interface design, although current Beats Music users, will be allowed to merge their Beats Music accounts with their iTunes/Apple ID, adds the report. Also Apple won’t ditch iTunes Radio, and iTunes Store services for now. The streaming music service will be paid, of course, and it could cost $7.99 per month, says the report. Last year in May Apple had bought Beats Music and Beats Electronics which is best known for its headphones . The tech giant had paid nearly $3 billion for the company, although it was reported that Apple paid little less than $500 million for the Beats Music streaming service. The music-streaming service for Beats was launched in January 2014 and has close to 250,000 paid users. Beats Music charges users up to $10 a month although it paid nearly 70 percent of their revenue in artist royalty fees. According to analysts, Apple’s purchase is largely an acquisition of talent and a way to offset the declining popularity of iTunes for digital music, the company notes its main source of revenue has always been from devices. Music is just a hook to make those devices more usable and attractive. Now with Apple all set to integrate Beats Music into the Apple universe, it remains to be seen how this service will do, despite the fact that Apple’s iRadio failed to woo users.