Skip to main content

NYT: Trent Reznor ‘point man’ in designing iOS 8.4 Music app with Beats-based streaming service

Beats Reznor Iovine Dre

Apple’s Spotify-like subscription music service based on its $3 billion Beats acquisition last year is fully underway, The New York Times reports in a new article heavily corroborating our own reporting on the upcoming music service from the past several months. A few interesting details in the report describe two projects being largely led by music industry veterans rather than engineers…

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor who served as Beats Music’s Chief Creative Officer and moved to Apple through the acquisition is the ‘point man’ on designing the iOS 8.4 Music app overhaul we reported earlier this year which will include the Beats Music-based streaming music service. Reznor described his current role at Apple in an interview last fall as designing for a project around music.

Famed Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, who Apple recently hired from BBC Radio, is said to be assigned to “reconfiguring” the admittedly stale Pandora-like iTunes Radio offering which is already integrated with the iOS Music app. According to the report, Lowe, who is known for musical trend spotting, has been tasked with becoming the voice of “a more geographically targeted” iTunes Radio that would resemble “a traditional radio station.”

The Times’ reporting again corroborates our prior reporting that Apple executives have targeted a lower monthly subscription price compared to the current $9.99/month rate while avoiding a free-tier while echoing recent reports that Apple could be unsuccessful in negotiating cheaper rates.

While the NYT does not name iOS 8.4 as the targeted release to include the Beats-based streaming service included in the new Music app, the report does cite the iOS release codenamed Copper highlighted in our prior report which we know to be iOS 8.4:

 According to sources, the iOS 8.4 upgrade is well into development and is codenamed Copper, a popular ski resort in Colorado.

Apple currently plans to unveil the iOS 8.4 release including the overhauled Music app and subscription music service in early June at the company’s annual WWDC event.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Now this is interesting…..

  2. irelandjnr - 9 years ago

    Copper, also a metal.

    • AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

      Also dem pesky guys who stop us from robbin’ de banks.

      • gigglybeast - 9 years ago

        I ain’t goin’ back to the joint, copper.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      And there are different purities of copper and different methods of extruding copper wire, and different cable geometries, dielectric, etc. etc. etc.

      If these guys they hired are more of the UI design, that’s one thing, I would hope that Apple would just hire some people with a higher level of knowledge of audio engineering to kick up the quality of what we listen to. Lossy is OK for the average person’s stereo and music they listen to, but for others like myself, that listen to a lot of acoustic recordings without audio compression and limiting, Lossy isn’t that great. It’s just OK.

      I personally would rather buy the CD, or high res file (DSD, 16/44.1 or 24/96+) (probably mastered of course) than to buy Lossy. Lossy can always be converted from the higher res files for use on a mobile device where storage is limited and sound quality isn’t as much of a factor.

  3. AeronPeryton - 9 years ago

    This just keeps getting more and more exciting. I can’t wait to hear the new Radio. And please call it Apple Radio, I think it’s time to retire the iNames.

  4. Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

    In regards to streaming music services, iTunes Radio sound quality isn’t that great. I did some quick comparisons between iTunes Radio, Spotify (paid subscription) against both 256kbps AAC file and a AIFF ripped file that resides on my hard drive. Which won? AIFF ripped from a CD won. Spotify’s 320kbps AAC streaming was comparable to 256kbps AAC on my hard drive, but I don’t have any 320kbps AAC files on my hard drive, so I could only compare Spotify’s 320kbps AAC to 256kbps AAC and AIFF on my local drive. iTunes Radio wasn’t as good as 256kbps AAC on my hard drive. I don’t know what bit rate they are using for iTunes Radio, but it’s just not as good as it could be. I have no idea what Beats Music is using, so that’s an unknown.

    I haven’t compared Tidal’s Lossless, or Beats Music to these, so I can’t comment on those tests.

    If you have any questions about my tests, let me know. I’d be happy to answer them.

    Please note that the source material was a decent quality recording with no audio compression or limiting during the mastering process that I can hear. They are natural recordings, so with that being said, I was able to listen to subtleties like ambience with the recording for very low level passages, i also listened for overall clarity in both low level passages and higher level passages, as well as bass definition, were what I was listening for. I could EASILY spot the difference between AIFF ripped from CD over 320kbps AAC from Spotify, it was easily noticeable after just 15 seconds of listening to a low level passage in the recording. Obviously, if you are listening to music that’s been mastered with a lot of compression and/or limiting, you might not be able to tell as much difference, so it’s important you listen to recordings of acoustic instruments in a natural environment with nothing altered rather than a typical pop recording with lots of compression, limiting, or the use of electronic instruments. Just a precaution when performing your own listening tests.

    I’m still doing other listening tests, but this is what I just did over the past weekend.

  5. Chris (@chriscrk) - 9 years ago

    Jimmy Iovine looks like a bald, more tan Tim Cook in this picture :o

  6. drtyrell969 - 9 years ago

    I wish these guys the best, but what is with all the “happy group” photos with these dudes? I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like a Beats Sorority.

  7. mytawalbeh - 9 years ago

    Outstanding ,!! I like Apple-Beat partnership.
    I’m all agog to see more like-Projects

  8. Steve Grenier - 9 years ago

    I am interested in Apple’s new streaming service, but I doubt any of us Canucks will get to enjoy it. We still don’t even have iTunes Radio. Any new service probably won’t make its way north of the border for several years.

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.