I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
It takes time and obviosly iTunes is iTunes only and not android accessible like beats so there are contradictory ideas.
Damn! Just when I thought Apple wasn’t doomed... it’s doomed again. Also strange is how this stuff only dooms Apple all the time. Everybody else appears to be immune. Or at least that’s how this and other articles seem to spin it.
Yes, but where would we be if Apple wasn't doomed? We'd have nothing to talk about!
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
It's only been a few weeks since the acquisition was closed. Give it some time.
Still no iTunes Radio in the UK. I wonder whether it will ever arrive, or if we'll get Beats Music instead. We don't have that, either.
The article tries to paint the increased streaming costs as a problem for Apple, but Apple is fine either way.
The fact that streamers were getting a royalty rate equal to radio was bad for the status quo industry. Radio is promotion for the sale of music, and people then buy tunes so they can hear the music they want, when they want, instead of randomly on the radio. Streaming services that allow you to target your music enough, reduce the need to purchase music at all! Bad for artists and cd and iTunes sales.
Apple had to get into streaming if iTunes sales were to decline, but higher costs for streaming will make purchasing music a valid choice and help iTunes. Beats and iTunes Radio for one way, iTunes sales for the other. Win, win!
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
They may merge them, but Beats is a *powerful* brand name, and Beats Music is a paid subscription service. Simply put, iTunes Radio is entirely different. On top of being free (big difference #1), it uses technology to help users build their own custom stations in a very different way than Beats Music (big difference #2). Also, iTunes Radio is available in I think two countries outside the US (big difference #3), with more coming "soon" (depends on your definition of soon, but the UK and Canada look to be next up for expansion. Beats' license is US-only, and that will take some work to fix (though I'm sure Apple will make efforts on this).
I could see the Beats Music "folded into" iTunes Radio as a subscription option, but I expect it to stay as a separate app and service for a while yet.
Apple has been doomed since the late 90s and will still be doomed 50 to 100 years from now. I think the naysayers like to keep repeating that mantra to themselves to make it feel as real as possible...it's their escape from reality.
Not sure why you guys haven't figured out this song and dance yet. You blame "Apple Doom" talk on naysayers and android fanboys. Sounds cute but it's really Apple friendly media that guzzles this stuff like it's the fountain of youth. Calm waters is bad for the media business, bad for ad impressions and bad for underpaid writers trying to make it in this cold cruel world. Tech writing is a very mild form of trolling. If they can get their reader base fired up and make them feel like they're under attack, the suits upstairs are high fiving each other literally.
You fail to take into consideration the amount of money Apple has at it's disposal.
It could buy a couple of the major music labels and use them as leverage to get fair deals out of other labels (like sony) that have their own music services.
This could actually work in Apple's favour - say they buy one of the big American labels - they could then both double dip profits (from both the selling to iTunes and the consumer from iTunes) and offer content at discounts, etc..
Apples main competitive advantage (other than it's brand) at the moment is the sheer size of it's cash balance. They are the Microsoft of the noughties.
Now tell me, awesome-scientific guy, how scientific is your post?
How fact-driven is it?
What are the criteria to bet your left nut on?
It's a prediction. My predictions are more often correct than not. That's not to say that I am never wrong. It happens on rare occasions, and I will readily admit when I am wrong.
It is based on my above average knowledge of Apple related things and it's also based on a hunch of course, which is basically an educated guess. There is always a certain degree of randomness and uncertainly involved when predicting future events.
So I'm not sure why the article says "Apple's streaming services remain behind market leaders Pandora and Spotify in terms of user adoption"
Apples to oranges comparison. Spotify, Rdio, and Beats are on-demand services, allowing users to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want. Pandora and iTunes Radio are radio-like services that play random songs supposedly based on the listener's tastes, but often do so poorly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by macxpress
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
iTunes Radio is like Pandora. Beats Music is more like Rdio and Spotify. Totally different concepts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Huber
A falling tide grounds all boats? Since streaming music is only a corollary business for Apple, this will not be the existential crisis it will be for others.
Apple's music sales have been doing poorly as users migrate to streaming services. That is the key reason behind Apple's purchase of Beats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pazuzu
Bad deal. Wake me when it shows a profit off the $3B acquisition.
Beats' headphone business generates over $1 billion in revenue, selling high priced products with fat profit margins. It shouldn't take long for Apple to recoup their acquisition cost based on this alone. Meanwhile, Apple desperately needs Beats' on-demand music service since iTunes music sales have been circling the bowl for some time now and iTunes Radio, frankly, sucks.
Comments
It takes time and obviosly iTunes is iTunes only and not android accessible like beats so there are contradictory ideas.
Who gives a $hit about android...Fuc%$ them!
Damn! Just when I thought Apple wasn’t doomed... it’s doomed again. Also strange is how this stuff only dooms Apple all the time. Everybody else appears to be immune. Or at least that’s how this and other articles seem to spin it.
Yes, but where would we be if Apple wasn't doomed? We'd have nothing to talk about!
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
It's only been a few weeks since the acquisition was closed. Give it some time.
Still no iTunes Radio in the UK. I wonder whether it will ever arrive, or if we'll get Beats Music instead. We don't have that, either.
We haven't heard the last negative news regarding Beats.
There's more to come. I'll bet my left testicle on that.
No need. The Apple of your eye will do.
The merger was completed less than a month ago. How fast could you merge two streaming music services?
As fast as the speed of sound?
C'mon, bet something you'd actually miss not having.
There's more to come. I'll bet my left testicle on that.
C'mon, bet something you'd actually miss not having.
His pips?
The article tries to paint the increased streaming costs as a problem for Apple, but Apple is fine either way.
The fact that streamers were getting a royalty rate equal to radio was bad for the status quo industry. Radio is promotion for the sale of music, and people then buy tunes so they can hear the music they want, when they want, instead of randomly on the radio. Streaming services that allow you to target your music enough, reduce the need to purchase music at all! Bad for artists and cd and iTunes sales.
Apple had to get into streaming if iTunes sales were to decline, but higher costs for streaming will make purchasing music a valid choice and help iTunes. Beats and iTunes Radio for one way, iTunes sales for the other. Win, win!
http://www.electronista.com/articles/14/03/10/close.to.capturing.second.but.still.far.behind.reigning.champ.pandora/
Now this survey was done in March, and things could have changed since then.
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
They may merge them, but Beats is a *powerful* brand name, and Beats Music is a paid subscription service. Simply put, iTunes Radio is entirely different. On top of being free (big difference #1), it uses technology to help users build their own custom stations in a very different way than Beats Music (big difference #2). Also, iTunes Radio is available in I think two countries outside the US (big difference #3), with more coming "soon" (depends on your definition of soon, but the UK and Canada look to be next up for expansion. Beats' license is US-only, and that will take some work to fix (though I'm sure Apple will make efforts on this).
I could see the Beats Music "folded into" iTunes Radio as a subscription option, but I expect it to stay as a separate app and service for a while yet.
Apple has been doomed since the late 90s and will still be doomed 50 to 100 years from now. I think the naysayers like to keep repeating that mantra to themselves to make it feel as real as possible...it's their escape from reality.
Not sure why you guys haven't figured out this song and dance yet. You blame "Apple Doom" talk on naysayers and android fanboys. Sounds cute but it's really Apple friendly media that guzzles this stuff like it's the fountain of youth. Calm waters is bad for the media business, bad for ad impressions and bad for underpaid writers trying to make it in this cold cruel world. Tech writing is a very mild form of trolling. If they can get their reader base fired up and make them feel like they're under attack, the suits upstairs are high fiving each other literally.
You fail to take into consideration the amount of money Apple has at it's disposal.
It could buy a couple of the major music labels and use them as leverage to get fair deals out of other labels (like sony) that have their own music services.
This could actually work in Apple's favour - say they buy one of the big American labels - they could then both double dip profits (from both the selling to iTunes and the consumer from iTunes) and offer content at discounts, etc..
Apples main competitive advantage (other than it's brand) at the moment is the sheer size of it's cash balance. They are the Microsoft of the noughties.
We haven't heard the last negative news regarding Beats.
There's more to come. I'll bet my left testicle on that.
Now tell me, awesome-scientific guy, how scientific is your post?
How fact-driven is it?
What are the criteria to bet your left nut on?
Now tell me, awesome-scientific guy, how scientific is your post?
How fact-driven is it?
What are the criteria to bet your left nut on?
It's a prediction. My predictions are more often correct than not. That's not to say that I am never wrong. It happens on rare occasions, and I will readily admit when I am wrong.
It is based on my above average knowledge of Apple related things and it's also based on a hunch of course, which is basically an educated guess. There is always a certain degree of randomness and uncertainly involved when predicting future events.
Would you be willing to bet against me?
I doubt it.
I thought iTunes Radio was ahead of Spotify: http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/03/11/6-months-after-launch-apples-itunes-match-already-more-popular-than-spotify
So I'm not sure why the article says "Apple's streaming services remain behind market leaders Pandora and Spotify in terms of user adoption"
Apples to oranges comparison. Spotify, Rdio, and Beats are on-demand services, allowing users to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want. Pandora and iTunes Radio are radio-like services that play random songs supposedly based on the listener's tastes, but often do so poorly.
I'm still trying to figure out why there's still both Beats Music and iTunes? Why does Apple need 2 music services that compete against each other? Surely, there has to be a way to merge them into 1 service. Maybe in time...
iTunes Radio is like Pandora. Beats Music is more like Rdio and Spotify. Totally different concepts.
A falling tide grounds all boats? Since streaming music is only a corollary business for Apple, this will not be the existential crisis it will be for others.
Apple's music sales have been doing poorly as users migrate to streaming services. That is the key reason behind Apple's purchase of Beats.
Bad deal. Wake me when it shows a profit off the $3B acquisition.
Beats' headphone business generates over $1 billion in revenue, selling high priced products with fat profit margins. It shouldn't take long for Apple to recoup their acquisition cost based on this alone. Meanwhile, Apple desperately needs Beats' on-demand music service since iTunes music sales have been circling the bowl for some time now and iTunes Radio, frankly, sucks.