After a busy year that included an acquisition of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats by Dre — and it’s nascent streaming service — Apple has announced its plans for its music division. A few pull-out points that illustrate Apple’s strategy.
A focus on personalities: Apple made a splash hire by pulling away Zane Lowe — arguably the world’s most popular radio DJ — from the BBC. They’ve also signed up Hot 97 director Ebro Darden. So, they’ve got two names with big followings and reputations from the jump.
A glossy, clean experience: Like all Apple products, Apple Music hopes to gain an edge in a crowded marketplace with its user experience. What I’m seeing is lots of little digital bubbles you can prod. Bubbles!
Drake: Drake is there. U2 is not.
Playlists: Playlisting is seemingly big business, so it’s not surprising to see a focus on this at the keynote. However it doesn’t really look all that much different from any other service — though I would definitely give this “Bring the Big Rock” playlist some spinz.
Exclusive Content: Apple is also promising exclusive content such as studio footage to its subscribers — it will likely be linked up with Apple’s new Connect feature. An artist’s given Connect page will feature content items of their choosing which.
Pricing: It’s $9.99 for individuals, but Apple is also rolling out a $14.99 family plan where up to six users can use the account.
