Apple has been talking to audio technology firm Beats about a potential plan to launch a collaborative music-streaming service, sources reveal.
According to “three people familiar with the situation”, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine met in February to discuss a potential music-streaming service currently codenamed “Project Daisy” by Beats.
Cook has expressed interest in the Project Daisy service, which was originally announced in January by Beats, but with little accompanying information. Eddy Cue, Chief of Internet Products at Apple also apparently attended the meeting, having already been a key player in the iTunes Music Store launch.
Apparently, no deal specifics were discussed at the meeting, in which talks were based around business models and rollout plans for Project Daisy. The service could rival Spotify, along with music-streaming offerings said to be launching soon from Google and Amazon.
Named after what Beats calls the first digital, computerised song, Project Daisy has already got over $60 million in funding from investors that include Warner Music owner Len Blavatnik. The Beats music streaming service is set to launch later this year.
“Beats has the vision, the brand, the management team and now the investor group to effectively change the expectations and experiences of a music subscription service,” said Len Blavatnik. “I’m looking forward to taking on this exciting challenge together.”
Currently Beats, known primarily for its range of Beats by Dre headphones adorning high profile and consumer heads alike, has a deal with Apple rival HTC. The Taiwanese smartphone maker includes Beats audio technology inside its smartphones, including the HTC Windows Phone 8X and upcoming flagship HTC One.
It therefore seems strange that Apple should be planning such a partnership for a music streaming service, when the audio company already has a deal with one of its bigger rivals.
Project Daisy will be a new music service powered by Beats, whether aided by a partnership with Apple or not. It will develop the MOG premium subscription service acquired by the audio electronics company in early 2012, and, according to Beats, plans to “solve the current digital music problem”.
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Via: Reuters
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.