Apple Working on Pandora-Like Music Service? [Updated]

[MacRumors]

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is "seeking to create a Pandora-rival custom radio service." Citing "people familiar with the matter", the Journal claims the service would work across Apple's line of products -- including Macs, the iPhone and the iPad -- and possibly even on Windows PC's. Unsurprisingly, it would not work on Android devices.

Apple only recently initiated licensing negotiations with record labels for its putative service, and even if it does complete deals, it could be a matter of months when such a service might launch, according to these people.

The company has in the past contemplated and abandoned other interactive features, including a Spotify-like service that would have let users rent unlimited amounts of music for a fixed monthly fee. But people familiar with the current talks say they appear to be more serious than those previous tentative inquiries.

As on Pandora, the music would be interspersed with ads, in this case carried by Apple's iAd platform, which syndicates ads to iPhone and iPad apps.

The WSJ says Apple is negotiating its own licensing deals with record companies, rather than going by the government-set rates paid by Pandora.

The article does not lay out a timeline for the service, though its claim that Apple is still in negotiations with record companies suggests it won't be arriving at the Apple Media Event already announced for September 12.

Update 8:04 PM: The New York Times has filed its own report on the developments, citing "three people briefed on Apple's plans". The report offers a similar description of Apple's goals, noting that the service would likely arrive as an app that could interface with a user's iTunes Store account to build upon the current Genius functionality in iTunes.

Apple's service would likely take the form of a pre-installed app on Apple's devices like iPhones and iPads and might be able to connect to a user's iTunes account to judge his or her tastes.

Like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times indicates that a launch for the service "could be months away" and is not likely to be announced at next week's media event.

Article Link: Apple Working on Pandora-Like Music Service? [Updated]

[iBreatheApple]

Interesting... I'd be willing to give it a try. I'm really liking Songza lately, I can't believe it's been out for as long as it has but is just now gaining recognition.

[Zcott]

Take my money.

[SandboxGeneral]

Fascinating. I wonder if they'd charge for this and if so, how much?

[MacinDoc]

That would be awesome. I love Pandora!

[gregwyattjr]

With the Genius feature, they should definitely give services like Pandora a run for their money. It would be great if they integrated a complete Pandora-like service into iTunes.

[fins831]

If they took on Spotify i'd be impressed, Pandora sucks by comparison.

[pubwvj]

I hope they buy Pandora or some established radio app rather than creating one from scratch.

[iBreatheApple]

Originally Posted by Zcott

Take my money.

As an Apple 'fanboy' I must say... really? It's a music streaming service. If they charge I'll stick with Pandora and Songza. The iTunes implementation should be enough for them. I could see them doing an instant "in-app purchase" where you can buy iTunes music straight from the app.

[iPhisch]

there goes my data plan.
although, if they just let me stream my iTunes, i'll be plenty happy with that. my music is better, anyway.

[FrizzleFryBen]

If they can make it so it doesn't play the same 25 songs over and over, I'm all for it.

[Zcott]

Originally Posted by pubwvj

I hope they buy Pandora or some established radio app rather than creating one from scratch.

Not happening. The main asset for all streaming services is the library, and Apple have the entire iTunes Store.

----------

Originally Posted by iBreatheApple

As an Apple 'fanboy' I must say... really? It's a music streaming service. If they charge I'll stick with Pandora and Songza. They iTunes implementation should be enough for them. I could see them doing an instant "in-app purchase" where you can buy iTunes music straight from the app.

Really. I'm paying for iTunes Match, but this takes it to the next level and eliminates the need for Match. I expect this service to be more expensive, but it's another great way of monetizing that massive music store.

[AppleGuesser]

Good idea, but something I just cant perceive happening really. How about fixing iTunes Match. Atleast for me, iTunes Match was slow, battery hungry, and data hungry. Even more so than Pandora or Spotify. So I'd like to see Apple tackle that first.

[jacobtaylor1987]

As someone who currently uses Spotify to browse and iTunes to purchase, this would be a good solution to keep everything within the one ecosystem.

[grapes911]

Originally Posted by SandboxGeneral

Fascinating. I wonder if they'd charge for this and if so, how much?

I love Apple just as much as the next guy, but I can't imagine them giving anything like this away for free. It doesn't seem like their style. I bet it will cost about the same as spotify.

[starbird]

Originally Posted by iPhisch

there goes my data plan.
although, if they just let me stream my iTunes, i'll be plenty happy with that. my music is better, anyway.

They do. It's called iTunes match. Will be streaming on iOS 6.

[troop231]

Think Apple can work out a deal with the carriers so it doesn't use your data allowance?





[/sarcasm]

[SandboxGeneral]

So unless Apple brings some revolutionary feature to such a service and eliminates interspersed ads, even for a small fee, there would be no reason for me to switch to it from Pandora or my itunes Match that I could fathom.

[iPhisch]

Originally Posted by starbird

They do. It's called iTunes match. Will be streaming on iOS 6.

Correct, Ive just been paying for it for a year and haven't been able to really use it. Hope it will now work how I want it to.

[Irock619]

I just wish they would come out with their own cell phone wireless network

[blacktape242]

i would LOVE that!!!!

GO APPLE!

[troop231]

Originally Posted by Irock619

I just wish they would come out with their own cell phone wireless network

Me too. They have the money to!

[DerekRod]

They should just buy spotify and call it a day

[nagromme]

No harm in them trying, I suppose, but I don’t see a big need waiting to be filled.

And I like Pandora, in both ad and ad-less flavors!

I guess not everything Apple does has to be earthshaking. Small pieces of the user-experience puzzle are OK too.

[iBreatheApple]

Originally Posted by Zcott

Really. I'm paying for iTunes Match, but this takes it to the next level and eliminates the need for Match.

How does it eliminate the need for match? Match has the ability for you to upgrade your song quality and have music you already own accessible from the cloud.