Apple reportedly puts Trent Reznor in charge of redesigned Beats Music app, presses forward with iTu
A report on Wednesday claims Apple is moving forward with a long rumored overhaul of its streaming music services lineup that will incorporate a reworked Beats Music app developed with the help of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, as well as a revamped iTunes Radio service.
Less than a year after buying Beats for $3 billion, Apple is working hard to position the audio firm's streaming service as the flagship in a new digital music initiative.
According to sources, Reznor, who was previously Beats' chief creative officer, is heading up development of a redesigned Beats Music app that could see release as part of iOS 8.4, reports The New York Times.
Working alongside Reznor is Beats cofounder Jimmy Iovine, as well as other employees from Apple and Beats. The app itself will reportedly retain tentpole features seen in the current Beats Music iteration, including human curated playlists, but is expected to get a fresh coat of paint and likely a new name, the report said.
Last October, Reznor revealed that he was working on a secret project for Apple thought to be in the music delivery field.
Echoing rumors from earlier this month, the report said Apple's redesigned Beats offering will be a subscription only service. Apple supposedly tried to negotiate cheaper licensing fees from record labels, but was rebuffed, meaning subscription pricing should be in the same tier as Spotify.
Also part of Apple's revamped digital music platform is a revamped iTunes Radio, which will remain as the company's free-to-stream service. The publication said Apple tapped new hire D.J. Zane Lowe to reconfigure the service. Lowe, a Grammy-nominated tastemaker credited with jumpstarting the careers of Adele and Gnarls Barkley, was one of BBC Radio's most popular personalities before leaving for Apple earlier this month.
Plans for iTunes Radio are still in flux, but the report cites music executives as saying the service could put a greater emphasis on regional programing with Lowe as its "voice."
The Beats music streaming service and iTunes Radio are thought to be major focuses for Apple as the company looks to stave off slumping digital music sales. Apple is behind in the streaming music game, with competitors Spotify and Pandora eating up marketshare and revenue, but reinvigorated iTunes-based services could provide an opportunity to catch up.
Less than a year after buying Beats for $3 billion, Apple is working hard to position the audio firm's streaming service as the flagship in a new digital music initiative.
According to sources, Reznor, who was previously Beats' chief creative officer, is heading up development of a redesigned Beats Music app that could see release as part of iOS 8.4, reports The New York Times.
Working alongside Reznor is Beats cofounder Jimmy Iovine, as well as other employees from Apple and Beats. The app itself will reportedly retain tentpole features seen in the current Beats Music iteration, including human curated playlists, but is expected to get a fresh coat of paint and likely a new name, the report said.
Last October, Reznor revealed that he was working on a secret project for Apple thought to be in the music delivery field.
Echoing rumors from earlier this month, the report said Apple's redesigned Beats offering will be a subscription only service. Apple supposedly tried to negotiate cheaper licensing fees from record labels, but was rebuffed, meaning subscription pricing should be in the same tier as Spotify.
Also part of Apple's revamped digital music platform is a revamped iTunes Radio, which will remain as the company's free-to-stream service. The publication said Apple tapped new hire D.J. Zane Lowe to reconfigure the service. Lowe, a Grammy-nominated tastemaker credited with jumpstarting the careers of Adele and Gnarls Barkley, was one of BBC Radio's most popular personalities before leaving for Apple earlier this month.
Plans for iTunes Radio are still in flux, but the report cites music executives as saying the service could put a greater emphasis on regional programing with Lowe as its "voice."
The Beats music streaming service and iTunes Radio are thought to be major focuses for Apple as the company looks to stave off slumping digital music sales. Apple is behind in the streaming music game, with competitors Spotify and Pandora eating up marketshare and revenue, but reinvigorated iTunes-based services could provide an opportunity to catch up.
Comments
Let's see, I can buy music, I can listen to my music, and I can listen to iTunes Radio, I can listen to Beats all on my phone. What else could I possibly do with music that I cannot already do?
Make it.
Looking forward to iTunes Radio reaching the UK. 2012: 'Coming Soon'
Although, an AI reader tells me that I'm not missing much, because it repeats tracks too much.
My thought exactly. To be honest, how many black executives does Apple have? Not many from what I have seen, I think there might be something fishy going on here, and I don't like it. I would like to see Apple increase its diversity, not only among rank-and-file Apple Store employees, and other office workers, but among the more prominent executive-level positions too. It is wonderful that Tim Cook has "come out of the closet," and represents the LGBTQ community well (I am also LGBTQ), and it is time for more racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to be better represented too. Apple is an extraordinarily innovative and forward-looking company, so lets see it in the makeup of their workforce too!
Reznor ando Lovine working hard. So what's Andre Young doing?
Mixing the music for Apple's ads, particularly the product intro videos.
My thought exactly. To be honest, how many black executives does Apple have? Not many from what I have seen, I think there might be something fishy going on here, and I don't like it. I would like to see Apple increase its diversity, not only among rank-and-file Apple Store employees, and other office workers, but among the more prominent executive-level positions too. It is wonderful that Tim Cook has "come out of the closet," and represents the LGBTQ community well (I am also LGBTQ), and it is time for more racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to be better represented too. Apple is an extraordinarily innovative and forward-looking company, so lets see it in the makeup of their workforce too!
Two words: Jacques Nasser.
Under Nasser's watch, Ford acquired Volvo Cars and Land Rover and placed them under the newly Premier Automotive Group in order to expand its market share in the luxury segment. Nasser also aimed to overtake General Motors by developing car-related services, but hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted on e-commerce, car distribution, junkyards, and auto-repair shops. Meanwhile the productivity of plants and quality of Ford vehicles slipped. According to an analyst, "Nasser's been the primary architect of a failed transformation of Ford from its core automotive heritage to some expansive consumer-centric organization, which we think employees, dealers, suppliers and investors have found to varying degrees to be somewhat incomprehensible".[4][5]
His later tenure as CEO was tainted by the Firestone and Ford tire controversy. In September 2000, after initially trying to avoid appearing, Nasser fronted a US Congressional sub-committee over the recall of Firestone tires fitted to Ford's sports utility vehicles. The tires were estimated to have caused between 130 and 200 deaths through disintegration, and Ford is suspected to have known about problems well before the recall was issued.[2] Firestone blamed the problems on the Ford Explorer SUV, though Ford denied the accusation[3] The scandal was estimated to have cost Ford around A$4.4 billion with share prices and quarterly results also falling sharply shortly before Nasser left the company.[4]
Jacques Nasser was also the architect of the very controversial "Performance Management Process" evaluation system which ranked employee performance. The evaluation system mandated that 5% of senior managers be given the lowest of three grades each year. Those who didn't improve after 2 years could be demoted or fired. The controversy began when Nasser informed shareholders on May 13, 1999, that they could “expect to see accelerated change” in the “diversity of our employees.” That change was implemented very quickly. Nasser stated in a videotaped address to top executives that he did not like the "sea of white faces in the audience, and that (the) Ford Motor Company must ensure that in the future, the company reflects the broad spectrum of Ford’s customers. Numerous class-action lawsuits were filed against Ford accusing them of using the system to weed out employees on biases of skin color, age and gender – not because of job performance. One of the suits accused Ford of systematically forcing out white males to satisfy minority quotas. Nasser vigorously defended the ranking system stating that it "inspired the best performance of everyone on the management team." The flawed evaluation system cost the Ford Motor Company tens of millions of dollars when the lawsuits were finally settled. Together, the suits represented one of the largest and potentially costliest white-collar civil actions against a major company in U.S. history and it cost Jacques Nasser his job. Nasser submitted his resignation in October 2001, however some sources report he was dumped by Ford. Despite this Nasser received a US$17 million golden handshake when he left.When people start talking about how diversity needs to be enforced, well, maybe you get the idea. It took almost a decade for Ford to recover, even Bill Ford Jr. couldn't get it done.
I didn't know you could be LGBTQ all at once. Sounds like hard work.
What does Q stand for? Quirky? And T? Transvestite? Transgendered? Transatlantic? Transmutable?
Make it.
Garageband
Reznor ando Lovine working hard. So what's Andre Young doing?
This.
http://www.straightouttacompton.com/#home
My thought exactly. To be honest, how many black executives does Apple have? Not many from what I have seen, I think there might be something fishy going on here, and I don't like it. I would like to see Apple increase its diversity, not only among rank-and-file Apple Store employees, and other office workers, but among the more prominent executive-level positions too. It is wonderful that Tim Cook has "come out of the closet," and represents the LGBTQ community well (I am also LGBTQ), and it is time for more racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to be better represented too. Apple is an extraordinarily innovative and forward-looking company, so lets see it in the makeup of their workforce too!
What I want to know is what does it matter how may black execs Apple has?
How do you know 1/2 of the folks Apple employs aren't QTBGL?
BINGO, let's force everyone to declare. That should cure everything, cause certainly only the best are hired... right?
Apple should hire people based on qualifications period. I highly doubt Apple is turning away highly qualified people because of their skin color.
And what the heck does "LGBTQ" mean? Perhaps Intel should use that acronym as one of its future stupid chipset codenames.
What an idyllic (if boring and small minded) world you must live in! Do you really think Apple leaves the best talent un-hired because they are excessively diverse?
Likewise. How about just pay attention to the top complaints about iTunes and solve those first.
Cashing checks?
are you their line manager? if not, how could you possibly know they are or infer he isn't?