# Beats Music: The Industry’s Next Streaming Service



## Todd Anderson (Jul 24, 2009)

In 2008 legendary rap star Dr. Dre joined forces with Jimmy lovine (then Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records) to create “Beats Electronics” which manufactures what have become game changing headphones, earbuds and speakers under the name Beats By Dr. Dre. You’ve undoubtedly seen televised advertising showing off the stylistic and colorful Beats products that have spawned countless copycats. Despite commanding a hefty price tag, Beats audio products have been a smashing success. One of Beats’ missions is to bring emotion back to the music experience and it appears they are making moves to continue that movement.

This week, on his personal blog, chief executive Ian Rogers announced the arrival of a new Beats branded streaming music service: Beats Music. 








Beats Music is based on the former online music service MOG, acquired by Beats Electronics in 2012. At that time, the service operated as a free streaming service through MOG.com and their Facebook page, with options for a subscription-based advertising free streaming service ($4.99/month) or a downloadable service ($9.99/month). What partially keyed Beats’ interest in MOG, according to Beats COO Luke Wood (interviewed by Mike Snider of USAToday in 2012), was the service’s interest in music quality; they were the first service to offer their entire catalog in a 320-kilobit format and were quick to offer their service through multiple unique access points. 

At the time of the acquisition, it wasn’t entirely evident what Beats Electronics had in store. The world of streaming music services has become crowded in recent years, with over 20-plus available options including Rhapsody, Rdio, and Spotify. Of course this goes without mentioning the 500-pound gorilla, Apple, and its recent entry into the segment with Apple Radio. Woods, however, has hinted that some sort of cross integration between Beats audio products and a streaming service might be a possibility. This wouldn’t be the first service tethered to a product line. Sonos, Apple, Xbox Music, and the Amazon Cloud PLayer all have tie-ins with company specific products. 

Current details about Beats Music and their offerings are still relatively sparse at the moment. However, based on Roger’s blog post we have learned a few new tidbits that might be of interest. The Beats Music service has undergone intensive beta testing over the last six months, leading to a projected live launch date of January 2014. Some of the beta testers have included “artists and other influencers.” In fact, it’s worthy that the service's “Chief Creative Officer” is Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame.

Interested music lovers can visit beatsmusic.com and claim a unique user name. It will be interesting to watch how Beats Electronics guides their new product. Perhaps Beats will push the envelope of higher resolution streaming music? Only time will tell.

_Image Credit: Beatsmusic.com_

_Sources: fistfulofyen.com, USAToday.com, thespacelab.tv_


----------

