Apple Music, Beats1 Radio Launch Tuesday

In an announcement that is literally music to Apple fans' ears, an Apple executive says the debut of the new Apple Music streaming service Tuesday will be accompanied by the launch of iOS 8.4 and the Beats 1 radio station, according to C/Net.

The new 24-hour radio station and latest version of Apple's mobile operating system will go live Tuesday morning, according a blog post penned by Ian Rogers, former CEO for Beats and a current senior director for Apple Music. Rogers indicated in his post that iOS 8.4 would go live at 8 a.m. PT, a little earlier than its usual 10 a.m. release time, with the launch of Beats 1 following an hour later, according to 9to5Mac, but that time reference no longer appears in his blog.

Apple plans to launch its much-anticipated foray into the growing music-streaming business with Apple Music, its $10-a-month subscription service. With its offering, Apple will compete with Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody in offering tens of millions of songs played on demand as well as song collections tailored to listeners' personal tastes.

Please join us at 8am Tuesday morning as we set this ship a sail: Zane Lowe, the D.J. (NYT) http://t.co/ycXatH5pmm

— ian c rogers (@iancr) June 25, 2015

The service is Apple's effort to grab a larger piece of the online music market, a sector that is undergoing a dramatic evolution. Revenue from global digital music grew 6.9 percent to $6.85 billion last year, with revenue from subscription services increasing 39 percent to $1.57 billion, according to International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a global trade group for the music business.



Beats 1 will not carry the normal audio and video ads that run on Apple's Pandora-like iTunes Radio service, which Apple seems to now refer to as simply Radio. Instead, Beats 1 will feature what Apple execs are describing in meetings with potential advertisers as "audio mentions" that will be interspersed throughout the songs and segments that will air on Beats 1.

AdAge reports Beats 1 will be anchored by three DJs stationed in Los Angeles, New York and London. Those DJs include former BBC Radio 1 host Zane Lowe, who will host Beats 1's flagship show; Hot 97 morning-show host Ebro Darden; and Julie Adenuga, who hosted an afternoon show on London indie radio station Rinse FM. Beats 1 will also carry shows hosted by celebrities like Elton John and Pharrell Williams.