In another move by Apple in what appears to be the formulation of an unofficially named iRadio, it was announced this morning that the electronics giant signed Sony Music to a deal giving Apple contracts with the three largest record labels. The signing comes just in time for Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) which is slated to kick off on Monday, June 10 in San Francisco.
The possibility of iRadio has caught the attention of many, as companies are taking cues from Pandora and Spotify to launch services of their own. Most recently Google launched its Music All Access service at its annual I/O conference in May, offering its cross-platform music streaming service for a market-setting price of $9.99 per month.
Apple similarly signed on Universal Music Group back in April and Warner Music last weekend. As noted by AllThingsD, Apple isn’t out of the woods yet as it still has to sign Sony’s music publishing group despite having enlisted Sony’s label.
Many are still unsure as to whether or not Apple will debut its new streaming service at its WWDC on June 10. Having just signed on the major record labels certainly bodes well for Apple’s supposed plans, though its likely cutting it too close to the WWDC for Apple to get any kind of demonstrations prepared. Rather, simply expect some kind of brief announcement or plan for the upcoming service.
Very little else has been disclosed by Apple in terms of streaming. Many, like AllThingsD, are predicting that iRadio will be a free service similar to Pandora, only with upgraded technology under the hood and Apple’s own interface, and will generate revenue through its iAd program.
One thing to keep in mind is that “Sony wanted to get paid for any of its songs Apple served up to listeners, even if they didn’t end up hearing the whole recording” which has been one of the major roadblocks for Apple in launching a streaming service thus far. Music labels are generally pretty receptive to Apple, and rightfully should be, since Apple arguably saved the music industry when it offered iTunes for the first time. If major labels like Sony are willing to put aside any fretful thoughts of losing a few pennies due to listeners skipping their songs, they ought to realize that Apple has their (and their users’) best interests at heart.
But what do you all think of iRadio? Will Apple announce music streaming at WWDC? Will it compete with the likes of Spotify, Pandora, and Google’s Music All Access?
