Beats Music
Beats Music was a subscription-based Digital music store streaming service owned by the Beats Electronics division of Apple Inc. The service combined algorithm-based personalization with expert music suggestions from a variety of sources.
This article is about the Apple music streaming service. For musical beats, see Beat (disambiguation).
Type of site
Internet radio, on-demand music
United States
beatsmusic.com (archived on Wayback)
Required
January 21, 2014
Discontinued on November 30, 2015; replaced by Apple Music
Development began in 2012 under the name "Daisy". The service built upon Beats' consumer electronics line and its 2012 acquisition of the similar service MOG. The service was launched in the United States on January 21, 2014.
Beats Music was acquired by Apple Inc. as part of its purchase of Beats Electronics in May 2014. Beats Music stopped accepting new subscriptions when Apple Music launched on June 30, 2015. Subscribers were moved to the new service. Beats Music was completely discontinued on November 30, 2015.[1]
Features[edit]
Beats Music offered a library of over 20 million songs that could be streamed on-demand by users. Users could download songs for offline playback, which remained accessible for the period of their subscription. The service used a personalization system combining recommendations based on listening habits and algorithms with human curation and playlists from music professionals and publications such as Rolling Stone, Rap Radar, and Pitchfork.[22] Song searches prioritized the original, master recordings of songs over other versions (such as covers). A feature known as "The Sentence" allowed users to generate playlists by filling four blanks in a sentence with words describing various activities, moods, and genres.[5][8]
The basic subscription plan allowed access to the service on three devices for US$9.99 per month, or US$99.99 per year. Along with a web-based interface, apps were available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Sonos announced that Beats Music would also support its wireless speaker systems on launch. A family plan with support for up to 5 people and 10 devices was also available for $14.99 per month, exclusive to family plan subscribers on AT&T Mobility. AT&T subscribers were also able to access a longer free trial period.[5][8]
Marketing[edit]
An advertisement for the service starring Ellen DeGeneres was aired during Super Bowl XLVIII in February 2014. Spoofing the fairy tale The Three Bears, the ad featured Ellen playing the role of Goldilocks.[23]