We reported yesterday that Apple was planning on shutting down the Beats Music service it purchased alongside the wider Beats Audio company in a $3 billion deal a few months ago. You can check out the article below:
That is the story gathering pace tonight. TechCrunch reported that several high up’s in the Cupertino chain had confirmed that Apple would close the music streaming service. Beats Music was bought alongside Beats Audio (including the headphones) in a $3 billion deal earlier in the year, a move that surprised many.
Only last week Tim Cook spoke to Charlie Rose and talked almost misty eyed about how Beats Music had soul, whereas other streaming rivals didn’t. He said that he could feel the music more because Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine (Beats co-founders) understood music and how tracks can work together. It seems a radical shift that the company would now be considering closing the service, but according to the very reputable guys at TechCrunch:
Many engineers from Beats Music have already been moved off the product and onto other projects at Apple, including iTunes. It's not clear when exactly Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre's music service will be shut down or what Apple will do with streaming, but every source with knowledge of the situation that we talked to agreed Apple plans to sunset the Beats Music brand.
It turns out the “very reputable guys at TechCrunch” were wrong on this occasion, or at least about the intent of Apple in terms of the service. Apple has reportedly told Re/code that this is not true. Tom Neumayr, Apple’s PR rep, says the TechCrunch story is "not true" but wouldn't go beyond that. However, the outlet says that the company is seeking to rebrand the service.
This seems more likely, especially after the enthusiastic way in which Cook talked about the brand just last week. Perhaps Apple has plans to fold the Beats Music streaming service into its own iTunes Radio brand?
