Beats Music offers more than premium headphones
Beats Music, a recently released music streaming service, hopes to surpass the likes of Pandora and Spotify in the online marketplace. Photo Credit: studio43.com
By Morgan Patullo, Staff Writer
Watch out Pandora , Spotify, iTunes Radio, and Songza, there is a new way to listen to music online.
Beats Music, the latest addition to the online music streaming world, was recently developed by Jimmy Lovine, chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M, Dr. Dre, Beats Electronics President Luke Wood and Nine Inch Nai ls’ Trent Reznor and was launched on January 21. This streaming service is now available for all those with Apple iPhones and iPods, Android devices, and Windows phones and has a catalog of over 20 million songs. Soon, a version for the iPad will also be available.
What makes Beats Music different from other services is that it has a “human touch,” according to a recent CNN post. It has a more robust suggestion engine that claims to suggest better songs for you. The system will use a certain algorithm, as the others do, in order to give you music suggestions based on what you have previously listened to.
However, this new system differs in that it will also factor in age, gender, and your current playlist.
It is said to even be able to take into consideration the songs that you crank the volume up on when you are ready to party, versus the ones that you listen to quietly while doing homework or simply relaxing. It can also consider music you listen to during the week, versus on the weekends.
It has features such as “Find It”, which helps you to search for the perfect playlist based on genre, activity, or curator. Another feature is “Right Now”, which allows you to make your own mix. “Highlights” will allow you to have access to other music popular now, even if it is not your usual style.
You will also be able to share your Beats Music, essentially like Spotify, and follow playlists with your friends via Facebook and Twitter.
One downside of Beats Music compared to other streamers is that in order to have access, you must pay a monthly fee of $9.99 after a free seven-day trial. The service will come ad-free, and for those with AT&T, it will support five accounts across 10 devices for $14.99 a month.
Beats Music is confident that people will still use their service even with the fee that other services come without.
“We know people will pay for something where there is value…enough people pay for headphones, it’s an exciting business. We think we can do the same thing here,” Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers told CNN.
With its January release, music-lovers will know soon enough how Beats Music stands up against Pandora, Spotify and other music streaming services.
