Apple begins international rollout for iTunes Radio, launches in Australia

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited February 2014
Apple on Monday announced the launch of iTunes Radio in Australia, marking the first time the company's streaming music service has been made available to listeners outside of the United States.

iTunes Radio


Like the service's American offering, fans Down Under can access a free, ad-supported edition on Macs and iOS 7 devices. Alternatively, users can opt for an ad-free experience with a AU$34.99 per year subscription to iTunes Match.

Apple appeared to begin a soft rollout of iTunes Radio in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. late last month. Several AppleInsider readers noted the service's appearance on iOS devices in those countries, though Australia is the only one to have been officially announced.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple's long-anticipated entry into the subscription music market, iTunes Radio was unveiled last June alongside iOS 7 and launched in the U.S. in September. The company announced just over one month later that iTunes Radio had streamed more than 1 billion songs to tens of millions of users since its launch.

Apple is thought to have assigned substantial resources to iTunes Radio in a bid to head off competition from streaming music catalogs like Spotify and Rdio. The company reportedly redirected key staff from the iAd sales team to iTunes Radio after hiring terrestrial radio executive Michael Pallad to helm the group.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 21
    Apple on Monday announced the launch of iTunes Radio in Australia, marking the first time the company's streaming music service has been made available to listeners outside of the United States. Apple on Monday announced the launch of iTunes Radio in Australia, marking the first time the company's streaming music service has been made available to listeners outside of the United States.
    any else get that déjà vu feeling while reading?
  • Reply 2 of 21
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Great, UK next please!
  • Reply 3 of 21
    [quote name="justp1ayin"
    any else get that déjà vu feeling while reading?[/quote]

    No? This is the first time Apple has announced launching iTunes Radio in Aus.
  • Reply 4 of 21
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    He was making a joke about the duplicate copy in the article on the main site.
  • Reply 5 of 21
    asdasdasdasd Posts: 5,686member
    At this rate the world will be covered in 2110
  • Reply 6 of 21
    asdasd wrote: »
    At this rate the world will be covered in 2110

    Goodo.
  • Reply 7 of 21
    crowley wrote: »
    He was making a joke about the duplicate copy in the article on the main site.

    Ah... I see.

    Next time I post I will be awake.
  • Reply 8 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Crowley View Post



    Great, UK next please!



    Well, I guess they forgot Canada first! LOL

  • Reply 9 of 21
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    When I opened the Music app on my iPad this morning (Australia) the Radio icon appeared right away in the toolbar, and the app jumped to it automatically, with a "Welcome to iTunes Radio" screen. So it should be hard for people to miss.

  • Reply 10 of 21
    gtrgtr Posts: 3,231member
    justp1ayin wrote: »
    any else get that déjà vu feeling while reading?

    That was just a...that was just a...glitch in the Matrix.
  • Reply 11 of 21
    Is there any real money to be made with iradio? Love using it and I know there are advertising bucks to account for but I just dont see this generating much net revenue for the company.
  • Reply 12 of 21
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    iTunes Radio is very good for discovering music. Apple still needs to add a service like Spotify. It's meant to happen eventually, both for music and video.
  • Reply 13 of 21
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I just got it, at first it wasn't showing up, double tapping the home button and flicking iTunes off then reopening it, made it appear.

    No ads and match is a fraction of the cost of spotify.
  • Reply 14 of 21
    hill60 wrote: »
    I just got it, at first it wasn't showing up, double tapping the home button and flicking iTunes off then reopening it, made it appear.

    No ads and match is a fraction of the cost of spotify.

    Wish it would come to the UK! It appeared briefly a couple of weeks ago then disappeared.
  • Reply 15 of 21
    "Down Under" also includes New Zealand unless you're Apple it seems. :)
  • Reply 16 of 21
    .
  • Reply 17 of 21
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    "Down Under" also includes New Zealand unless you're Apple it seems. :)

    Not since 1860 when New Zealand ceded from New South Wales under the treaty of Waitangi.
  • Reply 18 of 21

    You are not missing anything, unless you enjoy hearing the same songs played every few hours and the service stopping for no reason.  Stick with Pandora.  At least Pandora has variety.

  • Reply 19 of 21
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post





    Not since 1860 when New Zealand ceded from New South Wales under the treaty of Waitangi.

    6 February 1840. But that does not mean that New Zealand is not 'Down Under'.

    And, I don't see anything here to suggest that Apple doesn't consider New Zealand to be 'Down Under'.

    There are users down under that can use iTunes Radio, those users just happen to also be in Australia.

  • Reply 20 of 21
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Douglas Bailey View Post

     

    6 February 1840. But that does not mean that New Zealand is not 'Down Under'.

    And, I don't see anything here to suggest that Apple doesn't consider New Zealand to be 'Down Under'.

    There are users down under that can use iTunes Radio, those users just happen to also be in Australia.


     

    So the US is "up over" just like Europe and most of Asia...

     

    ...except there are scores of separate countries with just as many music markets to be negotiated.

     

    ARIA, Australia's licensing body isn't responsible for music in New Zealand for example.

     

    PS 1860 was a typo.

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