Beats Music, the latest product from Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Beats Electronics, is set to launch on January 21.
The subscription streaming service, originally called Daisy, is expected to compete with Spotify, Pandora, and Apple’s iTunes Radio. Beats Music also has Trent Reznor of Nine Inch as its chief creative officer.
In a profile of Beats Music on The New York Times, Jimmy Iovine spoke about the service. “What song comes next,” he said, “is as important as what song is playing now.”
Ben Arnold, an analyst at the NPD Group, also spoke on the new streaming provider. “If they are coming at this from a new angle, not just that we want to be the Beats version of Spotify, it’s a great idea,” he said. “If not, then you’ve got to rely on your brand. There’s something for them there, but it’s tougher.”
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The marketing campaign includes an integration deal with cellular provider AT&T, a Super Bowl ad, and plugs on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
U2’s Bono also spoke on Beats Music. “There’s so much music to hear online, people have become a bit deaf to the choices,” he said in an email. “Jimmy believes that Beats-style curation will become the discovery model that the music business is waiting for. I would never bet against him.”
Beats Music will only be available in the United States for the time being.
(January 12)
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UPDATE: Beats Music is now available for $9.99 a month and features a catalog of 20 million songs, according to complex.com.
The service differentiates itself by presenting several ways that it introduces the consumer to music, though its “Just For You” screen, among others.
