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Apple Music 1

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This article is about the 24/7 internet music radio station run owned by Apple, Inc.. For the discontinued algorithm-based internet radio stations on iTunes, see iTunes Radio. For the streaming service that features Beats 1, see Apple Music.
Beats 1
    • Los Angeles
    • New York City
    • London
Broadcast areaOver 100 countries[1]
Programming
FormatFreeform radio, rhythmic contemporary, urban contemporary
Ownership
OwnerApple Inc.
History
First air date
June 30, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-30)
Links
Webcast
Websiteapplemusic.tumblr.com/beats1

Beats 1 (often styled Beats1 or beats1) is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. The station airs a mix of pop, rap and indie music. Its DJs include Zane Lowe, who left BBC Radio 1 to join Beats 1, Ebro Darden, who hosts a hip hop music based radio show, and Julie Adenuga, whose show focuses on music from the United Kingdom.[2]

History

Apple bought audio equipment maker Beats Electronics in 2014, which included the ownership of Beats' former music service Beats Music,[3] and made Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers responsible for the iTunes Radio service.[4] Business Insider later reported that Apple was planning to merge the two services together. Apple also hired Zane Lowe as a music curator.[5]

The day of Beats 1's launch, The Guardian revealed that they had been given pre-recorded examples of Beats 1 programming, and said it "suggests an eclectic mix of programming to fill the 24-hours-a-day of broadcasting."

On September 29 of 2015, Zane Lowe said he wasn't sure that Apple Music needed Beats 1, but said "I hope that there’s a place for it."[6]

In December 2015, rumours spread that Apple would expand on the Beats 1 brand and give it sister stations, after Apple registered trademarks for 4 additional Beat stations.[7][8][9][10]

In September 2016, Apple refreshed the Apple Music interface with the release of iTunes 12.5 and iOS 10. Beats 1 reportedly became harder to get to, due to the clunky interface of iOS 10's Music app.[11]

Reception

Reception for the Apple-run station has been mixed. Quartz analyzed the track list of songs that were aired on Beats 1 in its second week. "Though Beats 1 is an eclectic mix of genres, some listeners have complained that it plays too much hip-hop." However, they did note that "there is a reasonable amount of diversity..."[12]

Mashable complained of "dynamic-range compression, which squashes the volume range of audio" and also said "The variety can be a blessing and a curse...it jumps all over the musical spectrum...If I wasn't committed to listening to nothing but Beats 1 for this review, I would have turned it off."[13]

9to5Mac had a generally positive review of the station, saying "Although Beats 1 is advertised as a 24/7 station, it isn’t really true. The schedule is set up on a 12 hour basis, so for the other 12 hours it plays a recording of the last 12 hours...This is frustrating for me, being based in the UK. If I listen in the afternoon and in the following morning, I am likely to hear the same shows repeated...In summary, Beats 1 as a concept is great... It needs some work on the software side and the production side to make it really shine."[14]

Fortune said "I haven’t liked every song played on Beats 1, but the personal bond I instantly felt with each DJ has been strong enough for me to resist the urge to go back to a lifeless algorithm."[15]

Billboard writer said "the tech community has been heaping praise on Beats 1...Internet-savvy people have fallen head over heels for old-school monoculture."[16]

Rob Price of Business Insider said "So far, I've loved it. I was never much of a radio listener before, and I've enjoyed the eclectic selection it has thrown up."[17]

Kirk McElhearn wrote "Beats 1 radio is clearly a loss-leader. Apple has designed it to draw people into Apple Music and get them interested. But the station is designed for just one demographic: the young, pop/rock/hip-hop listener. As such, it’s a non starter for a lot of Apple Music customers, and that’s a shame."[18]

The Guardian's review heavily criticized Jaden Smith's MSFTS Frequency program and A-Trak's show Day Off, but was generally positive of their other programming.[19]

Format

Beats 1 broadcast a mix of music focusing on new music and artists. Unlike the playlists for the "stations" on ITunes Radio. The Next Web claims that "The overarching aim of Beats 1 is to curate cool new music, whether it be new talent or fresh music from established artists."[20]

Beats 1 airs Apple's annual Apple Music Festival (which was formerly known as the iTunes Festival)[21] as well as interviews with popular American music artists such as [22] Lady Gaga,[23] Bruno Mars[24] and Chance the Rapper.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Availability of Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, and iTunes Match". apple.com.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (2015-06-25). "Zane Lowe, the D.J. Scratching Out Beats 1 for Apple". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-09-16.
  3. ^ Karp, Hannah; Dezember, Ryan; Barr, Alistair (2014-05-30). "Apple Paying Less Than $500 Million for Beats Music Streaming Service". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  4. ^ Wakabayashi, Hannah Karp and Daisuke. "With Apple-Beats Deal Complete, Ian Rogers To Run iTunes Radio". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  5. ^ "What we're hearing about the new music-streaming service Apple is developing in secret". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  6. ^ "Zane Lowe: 'I'm not sure that Apple Music needs Beats 1'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  7. ^ "Beats 1 to Get Sister Stations, If Trademark Filings Are Any Indication". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  8. ^ Rogelet, Sylvain. "Quatre nouvelles radios pour Apple ?". Consomac. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  9. ^ Times, Tech (2015-12-31). "Apple Music To Add 4 New Beats Radio Stations, What Genres And Regions Could Their Formats Cover?". Tech Times. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  10. ^ Rossignol, Joe. "Apple Files Trademarks for Beats 2, 3, 4, and 5 Radio Stations". Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  11. ^ Miller, Chance (2016-10-13). "Comment: Beats 1 station deserves an Apple Music-like revamp in year 2". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  12. ^ Sonnad, Nikhil. "We analyzed a month of Beats 1 tracks to figure out Apple's taste in music". Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  13. ^ Perkins, Chris. "I listened to Beats 1 for a week and all I got was a headache [REVIEW]". Mashable. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  14. ^ Mayo, Benjamin (2016-01-19). "Do you listen to Beats 1? Here's what Apple can do to improve its radio station & encourage more people to tune in". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  15. ^ "Why Apple's Beats 1 is music streaming done right". Fortune. 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  16. ^ "Beats 1, Apple's Radio Station, Looks Like It's A Hit -- and Maybe a New Digital Direction". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  17. ^ "Here's what people are saying about Beats 1, Apple's new global radio station". Business Insider. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  18. ^ McElhearn, Kirk (2015-07-27). "We've Got Beats 1 Radio, but What About Beats 2, Beats 3, Etc.?". Kirkville. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  19. ^ Evans, Rhiannon (2015-09-02). "What happens when you listen to Beats 1 radio for 24 hours? Lots and lots of Drake". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  20. ^ Swanner, Nate (2015-09-29). "Zane Lowe is crazy if he doesn't think Apple Music needs Beats 1". The Next Web. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  21. ^ "Apple's rebranded Music Festival will be livestreamed on Beats 1". Engadget. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  22. ^ "What Apple's Beats 1 Means for Your Radio Brand | Mark Ramsey Media LLC". www.markramseymedia.com. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  23. ^ "Don't Compare Lady Gaga To Madonna (Or Anyone Else), Because She Says So". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  24. ^ Guide, Game & (2016-11-02). "Bruno Mars Failure Lead Him To His Success: Find Out How He Coped With Failure". Gamenguide. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  25. ^ "Watch Chance the Rapper's Full Interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 - Noisey". Noisey. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
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