Music Executive: 'iRadio is Coming', Apple Pushing for Summer Launch

[MacRumors]

Negotiations between Apple and record companies regarding Apple's rumored 'iRadio' music service are progressing, The Verge reports as one tidbit in a larger article about the music industry in general.

The last report about Apple's streaming music service came earlier in March when Apple was reported to be offering half the royalty rate that Pandora pays for a similar product.

Much has been written about Apple's plan to launch a Pandora-esque service this year. Now multiple music industry insiders have told The Verge that significant progress has been made in the talks with two of the top labels: Universal and Warner. One of the sources said "iRadio is coming. There's no doubt about it anymore." Apple is pushing hard for a summertime launch.

It has been reported in numerous publications that Apple wanted to launch its service sometime in 2013, but was having difficulties negotiating royalty rates that were satisfactory to both sides.

That Universal and Warner are the companies claimed to have made the most progress with Apple is noteworthy -- Universal was the last of the four major labels to sign onto Apple's iCloud service, while Warner has been wary of cloud-based services in the past.

Article Link: Music Executive: 'iRadio is Coming', Apple Pushing for Summer Launch

[nsimpson94]

iWish

[r2shyyou]

iRadio? What a clever name!

Apple Radio, anyone?

[aDRock1154]

Meh. Fix iCloud and THEN go about other services..

[Northgrove]

I prefer to be in control, and use fixed-cost subscription services like Spotify instead. That service gives you both the ability to create your own playlists as well as a radio feature where it suggests songs if you fancy that. To compete, Apple needs to give more than that in 2013, not less.

[Xenomorph]

iOS 7, with iRadio.

People can *FINALLY* listen to music with a portable device. If that isn't innovation, I don't know what is!

[NewAnger]

Why does Apple have todo whats already been done by Pandora and others?

[SJism23]

I'm confused: would iRadio be like Rdio and Spotify where you can stream any song you like? The article mentions it being Pandora-esque, and I don't think Pandora runs this way.

[Hakone]

Oooh, I likey.

Will it have an option for me to ban artists like Justin Bieber?

[jan1024188]

When I saw the headline, a hipster dipster physical radio with apple logo crossed my mind. That would have been one weird product.

[rikscha]

iRadio = Pandora + Spotify hopefully!

[r2shyyou]

Originally Posted by Hakone

Oooh, I likey.

Will it have an option for me to ban artists like Justin Bieber?

Unless I'm some kind of magician, it ain't that hard to avoid them...

[komodrone]

ok coach jones!

[bushido]

id rather have something like spotify integrated into iTunes. those radios like pandora never play what i want and i end up skipping til i reach the limit ^^

[Tiger8]

Cut to Tim Cook apologizing for the mediocore iRadio, suggesting Pandora and Spotify instead

[Cali Fornia]

You mean "wanted to introduce in 2012"?

[penajmz]

I'm sure Apple will bring us something that nobody has done yet. They have to make everybody want it.

[theanonymousbob]

Will someone explain to me what this will do that Spotify and/or Pandora don't already do?

[flyingember]

Originally Posted by aDRock1154

Meh. Fix iCloud and THEN go about other services..

iCloud is an umbrella name to describe a variety of services.

Would you care to be more specific?

----------

Originally Posted by theanonymousbob

Will someone explain to me what this will do that Spotify and/or Pandora don't already do?

no. because no one knows

[ThE.MeSsEnGeR]

so, it's shaping up to be one fully packed WWDC '13! Some of the following are imminent while others are slightly possible.

- iveOS 7
- Mac OS 10.9
- iPhone 5S
- iWatch
- iPad mini 2
- iOS game controller
- iRadio (or whatever it's going to be called)
- Mac Pro
- And a possible announcement of the iTV, plus developer preview to push app developers to prepare for a christmas release?

[Dreamer2go]

I will definitely tune in if it's worldwide!

Spotify isn't that great with its limited hours services
PLUS you can't subscribe in Hong Kong too (so is Pandora... need VPN for that... lame)

[SJism23]

Originally Posted by ThE.MeSsEnGeR

so, it's shaping up to be one fully packed WWDC '13! Some of the following are imminent while others are slightly possible.

- iveOS 7
- Mac OS 10.9
- iPhone 5S
- iPad mini 2
- iOS game controller
- iRadio (or whatever it's going to be called)
- Mac Pro
- And a possible announcement of the iTV, plus developer preview to push app developers to prepare for a christmas release?

There won't even be half of those things there.

[Radio]

apple - stop trying to be a software company.

you fail at that.

i'll stick with spotify thanks

[the future]

Originally Posted by theanonymousbob

Will someone explain to me what this will do that Spotify and/or Pandora don't already do?

It will instantly be on hundreds of millions of computers and mobile devices with a simple iTunes update.

[TimUSCA]

Originally Posted by Xenomorph

iOS 7, with iRadio.

People can *FINALLY* listen to music with a portable device. If that isn't innovation, I don't know what it!

I'm so damn tired of this... just because Apple creates a new service or product does not mean it's automatically innovative, nor does it mean Apple ever claimed it was. It's called competition. Let's also not forget that nobody knows *anything* about this service, and for all you know, it does have some innovative features.

The negativity on these forums is at a staggering high...