Beats Music Launching Streaming Service January 21st
Beats Music announced on Saturday that it will be launching its new music streaming subscription service in the U.S. on January 21st. The service, developed by Interscope/Geffen/A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine along with Dr. Dre, Beats Electronics president Luke Wood and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, will offer a catalog of more than 20 million songs, fully licensed from all major and independent labels.
7 Things You Should Know About Beats Music
A subscription to the service will run users $9.99 a month, though Beats Music is offering a free trial for the launch. The service will be available on iOS, Android and Windows phones as well as through the web.
What distinguishes Beats Music from music-subscription competitors such as Spotify, Pandora and YouTube is its focus on curation, which involves real people recommending songs in real time. With Trent Reznor as the project’s chief creative officer and a curation team that includes Former Pitchfork Media editor-in-chief Scott Plagenhoef, veteran Detroit radio music director Suzy Cole and Former Rhino Records A&R Director Mason Williams, Beats Music will also feature a massive collection of editorialized playlists from music publications including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork as well as radio stations like Hot97 and Power 106.
Find out more about how to get on Beats Music at the Beats Facebook page
The service offers a number of customized features, including “Just For You,” which delivers a personalized selection of albums and playlists, based on factors like users’ musical preferences, time of day and activity, to subscribers at least four times a day. Another feature, called “Right Now,” creates a continuous playlist compiled from users’ answers to questions about their immediate circumstances.
Beats Music is also focused on creating a service that is fair to the artists whose music it streams, and will pay the same royalty rate to all content owners. “Beats Music is based on the belief that all music has value and this concept was instilled in every step of its development. We want it to be just as meaningful for artists as it is for fans,” Reznor said in a statement. “We’re committed to providing revenue to artists, while helping to strengthen the connection with their fans.”