Apple will indeed relaunch Beats Music at WWDC 2015 next week, according to Wall Street Journal sources.
The report on Monday claimed, as previously thought, Apple will charge a $10 a month subscription fee for the streaming service, with no free tier.
This will differ from the current market leader Spotify which also charges $10 (around £6.50) a month, but offers limited free listening on desktop and mobile. Those Apple customers forking over the monthly fee will get unlimited monthly plays for their troubles.
There will be the opportunity for some free play though the Beats Music relaunch, but those will only be chosen by Apple or the artists in question the most recent rumours have reiterated.
Folks completely unwilling to pay for the privilege will continue to have access to a revamped iTunes Radio service which will include a host of human curated channels from the likes of Beats founder Dr. Dre and Radio One’s Zane Lowe. That renewed push might give Apple a shot at mastering the internet radio space also.
It appears that the new service will still carry the iTunes branding, perhaps because of the familiarity of the brand compared with the barely used Beats Music platform, which pales in comparison to the popularity of the headphones brand.
Read more: Apple Beats relaunch: The story so far
Of course, none of this information is new but affirmation from a publication like the Wall Street Journal, just a week from WWDC certainly adds credence to the rumours.
One thing the WSJ hasn’t nailed down is when the service will launch. It’s as yet unclear whether the company plans to release the streaming service immediately following WWDC or whether it’ll have to wait until the iOS 9 software lands in the autumn.
Whatever Apple’s intentions, the streaming market is set for a serious shake up, starting with the Tim Cook-led keynote at WWDC.
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Editorial independence
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.
Professional conduct
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.