Apple’s Jukebox in the Cloud

iTunes Radio stirs up the streaming world.

By Justin Harmond

Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, Slacker, etc. Just when it seemed like the music streaming ecosystem couldn’t get any more saturated, Apple announced its new plans to release iTunes Radio – a new music streaming service, available to iOS 7 users, that will come standard with every new Mac device released this fall. Though the program will only be available in the US to begin with, there are plans to roll it out in other countries beginning in 2014.

Functionally, iTunes Radio most closely resembles Pandora. Users can build personalized radio stations based on different songs or artists. As you listen to the radio station more, users are given the opportunity to customize their listening preferences further, telling iTunes to “Play More Like This” or to “Never Play This Again.” Just like Pandora, iTunes Radio gives users the option to add variety to their stations by including other artists or songs as well. On iTunes Radio, a user can also configure a station to play more top hits, more indie gems, or an equal mix of both. Both Pandora and iTunes Radio are ad-supported and thus free for users. In my experience playing around with iTunes Radio, ads run sporadically and consist of short 15-second clips from the Ad Council, among others. If you don’t mind shelling out $25 each year to use Apple’s iTunes Match service, you’ll be able to use an ad-free version of iTunes Radio. While Pandora and iTunes Radio may sound too similar to make you want to switch services, Apple’s position as one of our generation’s biggest and most beloved technology companies distinguishes iTunes Radio from some cheap Pandora clone. Allow me to elaborate…

As the company behind iTunes, the largest digital music store in the world, Apple already has access to an incredibly large range of music. Everything that is featured on the iTunes Store will be available on iTunes Radio. This also means that iTunes Radio users will gain access to iTunes exclusives before they come out anywhere else. Anytime you see an up-and-coming band release the free song of the week or your favorite artist releases a track for buying a pre-order of their next CD, you’ll have immediate access to it on your radio station. Having access to all of this music allows iTunes Radio to make well-informed predictions on what music you might like based on what songs you already have in your iTunes library and the purchase history of other iTunes users. I find that the stations I build on iTunes Radio are more spot-on to my listening preferences than the ones I build on Pandora. After making a few adjustments to my radio station, I rarely find myself having to skip a song. If you rather not build your own station, iTunes Radio gives you access to curated “Featured” stations and 200+ genre focused stations. If post-punk revival music is your jam, iTunes has you covered. Apple does a great job of chronicling your play history as well, providing a full list of the songs you’ve listened to. This makes it very easy to backtrack and find that song that instantly sent shivers down your spine. If you’re one who likes to buy your music, Apple makes it effortless to impulsively buy the song you’re currently listening to. All you have to do is press the conveniently placed “Buy Song” button next to the song information. Ideally, this will ultimately lead to an increase in legal music downloads.

On that note, if you’re one who follows the ever-evolving debate over streaming royalties for musicians, you’ll be happy to know that iTunes Radio pays more to the label for songs than Pandora. They even give labels a percentage of their advertising revenue. On top of all of that, the royalty rates being used by Apple to play artists will increase over time. As streaming services become more commonplace and the number of users on iTunes Radio increases, artists can expect to make more money off of streaming in the future.

Only time will tell if iTunes Radio will truly take off. That being said, there’s no real reason why it shouldn’t. With iTunes Radio, anyone who has iTunes or an iOS device in the United States has access to a vast musical library without ever having to own any music or install any outside app. iTunes’s all-encompassing music catalog means it is highly likely you’ll come across the music that you enjoy. And their knowledge of users listening preferences makes it easier to discover your new favorite artist! As the music industry tries to create new sources of revenue for artists, Apple is leveraging their influential position as a technological and musical powerhouse to bring streaming to the mainstream…no pun intended.

 
Born and raised in New York City, Justin Harmond is currently a junior at Columbia University studying Anthropology with a focus in Music and Business. He first realized his interest in the music industry in high school after founding Phillips Exeter Academy’s first hip-hop club, ERA. Since then, he continues to stay involved with the music scene, sitting on the board of the Columbia University Society of Hip-Hop (CUSH) in addition to having previously interned at Babygrande Records and iHipHop Distribution. This summer, Justin took a break from working in music to explore his interests in advertising while interning for ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. When he’s not living and breathing music, Justin spends his free time playing basketball, video games, and scouring tech blogs for the next big thing.