Drake wearing the $17K Apple Watch at Coachella
It seems that many high-profile artists wearing gold Apple Watches over the past several weeks may be doing more for Apple than just promoting their new watch. Apple is in talks with at least Drake, Pharrell Williams and DJ David Guetta to become guest DJs on the new iTunes Radio, according to a new report. The report says that Drake’s deal could be worth around $19 million, while these deals follow the hire of notable U.K DJ Zane Lowe…
Besides the news of the DJ talks, the report says that the free trial option we discussed for the upcoming Beats-based streaming service will be three months in length. Interestingly, during those three free months, Apple wants the record labels to give up the music to the company for free. It’s unclear if this request will actually work out in time for the June 8th debut, which we reported on in March, but it appears Apple will push for this until time runs out.
As we profiled earlier this year, Apple is working on both a new version of iTunes Radio and its “Apple Music” streaming service for Apple and Android devices. While Apple initially hoped it could sell its subcription service for $8 a month, push back from labels means that the cost will equal the current Beats Music price: $10/a month. Besides a new look based on the iOS 8.4 Music app, the new service will have deep, Ping-like social integration for artists and will launch in internationally.
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Just google for “David Guetta Drugs” and click the first video. In that moment he was thinking, I should rather sign the iTunes contract than playing here right now.
Yikes, don’t call it Ping-like
Smart move. But anything is better than just an algorithm or computer script when it comes to the arts. Its a human thing that needs the human touch.
Message to Tim Cook.
$19 Million to hire Drake? You have absolutely lost your mind paying that loser a dime. This is a joke. I’m embarrassed for Apple. This is just NOT going to get a decent return on investment. I don’t need some DJ to tell me anything about music, I can do my own research on what music to listen to.
It’s always great to hear folks in the comments section giving business advice to Tim Cook (CEO of the world’s largest and most successful tech company).
Yeah, and it was handed to him by someone else, like Steve Jobs, whom actually had vision about the products the company makes.
Maybe this is part of Tim Cook’s diversity program, hiring more perverts that grab their crotch in public that don’t really have a college education that can’t really sing without AutoTune or hiring DJ’s that simply haven’t studied how to play a musical instrument that only know about music that’s created by idiots for idiots.
And how many ideas did Tim Cook have for the products Apple sells? And has Beats Music made a profit, yet? At this rate, it never will. Ever since Apple bought Beats, they’ve done nothing positive for the iTunes music download portion of the business.
Not everything that Tim Cook does is perfect, he has flaws just like anyone else. This is an example of them.
Rich Davis is an example of why some people should not be allowed to have internet access. An idiot among idiots. A person doesn’t have to be a Drake fan to know that he’s one of the most popular and best-selling artists in the world right now. Paying him $19M is a drop in the bucket to Apple and would be a great return on their investment for the reason I just gave.
I hate to even reply to an idiot. Maybe Richy Davis should start a rival company to Apple so he can show Tim Cook how it’s done.
When i search by myself i’m loosing my time, when i listen to some famous DJ podcasts (ex : https://soundcloud.com/donsdj) i find faster best tracks, that’s a simple reality.
Exactly. There is so much new music and more released every day, that sifting through it all would take more time than we have in a day. Someone who’s job and taste you respect sure helps.
Soundcloud? Hahahaha. That’s where the amateur stuff is.
“Soundcloud? Hahahaha. That’s where the amateur stuff is.”
I’v got it, you’re a troll !
Don’t be embarrassed. You might be a lost customer, but there are many people who appreciate curated music and if Apple is going to differentiate themselves from the Music Service Providers like Spotify and Rdio, this is a great way to do it.
The fact that Apple is making some bold, potentially polarizing associations with this project makes me feel good. A lot of of people don’t like Drake, but a lot of people REALLY DO like Drake. Get a bunch of people on board that people have strong feelings about and you’ve got the potential to create a brand that’s more than just “please access our database of impartially organized music files delivered at exceedingly prudent bitrates”.
This is an excellent way to spend marketing cash. They’ll get more mileage out of a Drake radio show than spending that same $19 million to buy a few national commercial spots.
Exactly. I already use a different music service provider and Apple’s logo is not going to be enough to make me drop everything and switch.
I guess the masses that can’t think for themselves need one of their idols telling them what to listen to. It’s a shame that people have to rely on predominately non-musicians to tell them what to listen to. I stay away from listening to the radio because most of it is pre programmed by someone else and a lot of it is just what the record labels are pushing on society. None of these people they are hiring are actually well trained musicians or well trained singers. They aren’t experts in music from my standpoint. Glad I don’t buy their crap.
The music industry is going down the drain and it’s because people like these are partially controlling the music industry. All I see these idiots doing is pushing more crap down people’s throats.
Apple’s Radio is pretty good as far as selecting other songs to play, they just need to improve the sonic quality to Lossless, and they need to get a bigger catalog to draw from. Apple Radio simply doesn’t have as big of a catalog as the subscription services.
Tim buys Beats for 3 billion because he likes how magically it pulls together music, now he’s blowing 19 million for an actual DJ? Doesn’t add up…
The only thing it adds up to is a complete waste of money.
They don’t want to enlist Pharrell’s partner Robin Thicke with his Big D-ck, too?
Did anyone look closely at the photo they used? What’s he grabbing? Does he have to urinate? Is he whacking off in public? What’s with these guys grabbing their crock? That doesn’t display intelligence, it displays immaturity and perversion. And Apple wants to sign this guy to help promote Apple? Is this what Apple wants to promote? What’s wrong with this picture?
But dos OWLS doh.
It’s pretty obvious your dislike for Drake goes much farther and deeper than his music… I know if you could, you’d ask Drake to “Go BACK to the ghetto and don’t come back now, ya hear” (your tweet to Pharrell and Snoop), but that doesn’t change the fact that there are millions that like him and his music.
I really don’t mind racists at all, but I do wish you prefaced with I hate R&B, Hip-Hop, or just blacks in general so at least we’d know where your coming from. Just a suggestion
Thank you. Comment of the month. Rich does seem like a racist who’s oddly obsessed with Drake. There are a few musicians, athletes, actors, and other public figures I don’t necessarily care for, but I don’t post paragraphs online about my dislike for them. This guy has some serious problems and I hope he’s under the supervision of a medical professional.
“That doesn’t display intelligence, it displays immaturity and perversion.”
Your comments display racism and creepy, obsessive behavior, but hey, we all have our faults.
Drake probably took his woman and now he hates him, and all who look like him. Either that or he tried to get an autograph and was rejected. Now he’s like Stan, going on muti-page rampages professing his hate for the man.
If this is what Apple has in store for us…. I’m not subscribing. You can keep it, I’ll take my money elsewhere!
‘Think Different’ does not apply to Apple’s taste in music and this will be more mainstream music crap. Apple could spend far less money on hiring real dj’s who are passionate about music. I’ll take a persona like the late John Peel to introduce me to both new and undiscovered music with unique live sessions. Looks like I’ll be sticking to digging for music on Spotify, podcasts and streaming radio on TuneIn.
Flattering pose by Drake ..! Nice going Apple 😒
Are we ignoring the fact that this is a picture of a guy grabbing his own dick! Oh, and he’s wearing an apple watch…