Beats 1 gets a ‘takeover’ by Aussie terrestrial radio

Australian radio station Triple J has entered into a temporary partnership with Beats 1 to stage a “takeover” of the streaming service’s radio program. Triple J will host four hour-long shows on the Apple radio project over the course of November. That’s a clear win for Triple J, but what could the end game be for Beats 1? Continue Reading

XAPPmedia finds Apple has earlier ad load, but more artist promos

XAPPmedia published a special new report about Apple as a supplement to its usual quarterly ad load data. This focused study, which is the first from XAPPmedia to address a service by name, covers all of 2015 through August. Apple’s ad-supported streaming music property at the start of the year was iTunes Radio, which was then folded into Apple Music when it launched on June 30. Continue Reading

What does the new Apple TV mean for the company’s music plans?

It’s full-steam ahead at Apple, which hosted an event to unveil several new products yesterday. The big star was a major update to its Apple TV set-top box. The new Apple TV features a new interface and voice integration thanks to Siri. Most of the entertainment updates were focused on video services, but the company did announce that its own Apple Music will be available through the device. Continue Reading

Tidal caught in another PR snafu, this one featuring Apple Music and Drake

Tidal has accused Apple of blocking its stream of rapper Drake’s performance at a charity concert, claiming it was threatened with a $20 million lawsuit by the tech company on the grounds that Drake currently has an exclusive deal with Apple Music. Tidal called Apple “Big Brother” in a tweet and left the same message on the blank video stream during Drake’s set. Drake’s camp said the stream’s black-out was not due to Apple. Continue Reading

Former Beats Music CEO makes surprise departure from Apple

Ian Rogers has resigned from Apple. Rogers was the CEO of Beats Music prior to its acquisition by the tech company, and was one of the key leaders in creating the Beats 1 radio component of Apple Music. The Financial Times first reported the departure, noting that Rogers will be heading to Europe for a position in an unrelated industry. Continue Reading

Billboard industry survey finds love for Taylor Swift and Apple, not so much for Tidal

Billboard conducted an anonymous survey of music industry leaders, gathering expert opinions on everything from the sector’s business outlook to favorite artists. The business questions also revealed intriguing insights, including a view of which music companies are the industry darlings and which are not. Continue Reading