“Apple Inc is gearing up to sell audio ads on a music-streaming service it intends to unveil at its developers conference next week, according to people familiar with the plan,” Poornima Gupta reports for Reuters.
“The music service, dubbed ‘iRadio’ by the tech industry and media, is expected to closely resemble Pandora Music in its monetization strategy. It will feature audio and banner ads sold through Apple’s iAd mobile network, said the people who were not authorized to speak publicly. The service, which is expected to launch later this year, will also have ads currently sold by the iAd division, they said,” Gupta reports. “The new ad-supported music service from Apple, which pioneered and now dominates music purchases through iTunes, is expected to be free to users.”
Gupta reports, “To ensure the service debuts with ample content, Apple has been rushing to ink deals with the music industry. Apple has agreements in place with Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group but remains in talks over music rights with Sony Music Entertainment as well as its separate publishing arm, Sony/ATV.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Eddy Cue, under the gun.
Related articles:
Apple to sell audio ads on upcoming ‘iRadio’ streaming music service – June 5, 2013
Pandora CFO seeks to play down concerns over looming Apple iRadio threat – June 4, 2013
Pandora shares drop most in 6 months as Apple inks iRadio deals – June 3, 2013
Apple secures Warner Music streaming rights for upcoming iTunes ‘iRadio’ service – June 3, 2013
Apple’s iRadio is still mired in licensing talks and may not be ready for WWDC, sources say – May 17, 2013
Apple’s ‘iRadio’ talks hit royalties snag – May 9, 2013
Apple close to agreement on streaming ‘iRadio’ service with Universal Music, sources say – April 12, 2013
Pandora killer: Apple close to deal with two major music labels; looks to debut ‘iRadio’ streaming music service in June – April 5, 2013
Apple pushing hard for summertime launch of iRadio music streaming service – March 29, 2013
Apple’s ‘iRadio’ imminent? ‘Radio Buy Buttons’ found in iOS 6.1 – February 5, 2013
Analyst: No ‘Apple Television’ this year, but ‘iRadio’ on the way – January 3, 2013
Apple’s iTunes radio should pump up heat on Spotify, not Pandora – December 3, 2012
Analyst: Apple to launch ad-supported ‘iRadio’ music streaming service next year, before ‘Apple iTV’ – December 3, 2012
“Eddy played a major role in creating the Apple online store in 1998, the iTunes Music Store in 2003 and the App Store in 2008. He also played a key role in developing Apple’s award-winning iLife suite of application”
Not doubting Eddy.
Further…
“Eddy oversees Apple’s industry-leading content stores including the iTunes Store, the revolutionary App Store and the iBookstore, as well as Siri, Maps, iAd and Apple’s innovative iCloud services. Eddy’s team has an excellent track record of building and strengthening online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of Apple’s customers.”
I’m looking forward to seeing how he exceeds our expectations with these other services.
I like the “strengthening.”
Yet another free, ad-supported service from Apple.
Analysts expect Apple to do it just like Pandora did. I sense a lack of imagination.
That’s a good point. It doesn’t really make sense that Apple will simply roll out a copy of an existing service just to have one. If they were going to copy a model, I’d rather see something like Rdio or Spotify with Apple’s own twist on it.
I personally do not have an interest in an ad-supported version of a streaming music service.
So will everyone who was bitching about Microsoft’s similar service being “advertising built into the OS” be out whinging in similar numbers about this? Or are Apple-sanctioned ad-supported services somehow different?
There is no iRadio.
Apple has not announced anything.