Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Interviews with JP Evangelista of Vevo and Zane Lowe of Apple Music. Also three different recaps of the RAIN Podcast Business Summit. Continue Reading
Apple could invest in iHeartMedia, according to a new report in the Financial Times (paywall). Sources familiar with the proceedings told FT that Apple has held talks with the legacy broadcaster about purchasing a stake. Continue Reading
Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio platform has launched its first Spanish-language show. “Trap Kingz” will air every two weeks, with a focus on the trap genre. Puerto Rican artist and trap specialist Bad Bunny will host the first six episodes of the program. Continue Reading
The Guardian announced that it will be hosting a show on Apple’s Beats 1 radio project. Dubbed Breaking Good, the show will see the UK publication hosting music leaders sharing their favorite recent tracks. The Guardian will air four episodes of Breaking Good over the course of March. Continue Reading
Following up on some earlier speculations, Apple has filed for the U.S. trademarks for additional Beats stations. French website Consomac reported that Apple now has applications under review for Beats 2 through Beats 5. Continue Reading
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
British investment firm Edison Investment Research posted a research note claiming that Apple is developing spinoff stations to complement Beats 1 (e.g. Beats 2, 3, 4, etc.). The note bearishly targets Pandora, and we offer a more balanced reality. Continue Reading
Apple’s Zane Lowe returned to London to participate in the Radio Academy’s Radio Festival. He engaged in a lively conversation with former boss Ben Cooper, controller for Radio 1 and Radio 1 Xtra, about the role of Beats 1 in Apple Music, future of music radio, and about the BBC. Continue Reading
Beats 1 has added three new artist-led shows to its programming roster, with more artist hosts to be announced in the coming weeks. Zane Lowe also talked about the philosophy behind having performers participate behind the mic at Beats 1 in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Continue Reading
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
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web. TODAY: Does Beats 1 steal radio’s last advantage? Is Spotify a hitmaker? And U2 went on podcasting to break news. Continue Reading
One of the biggest highlights of the new Apple Music streaming platform is certainly the ambitious Beats 1 radio project. But the latest industry rumors hint that Beats 1 may not stand alone forever. According to The Verge, inside sources have revealed that Apple’s contracts with labels allow the tech giant to launch up to five additional stations without renegotiating. That means that we could very likely see (and hear) a Beats 2 through Beats 6 joining the broadcast offerings. Continue Reading