Apple is building a streaming music service to compete with Spotify, and it will be integrated into the next version of iOS.
We first heard about the project last year, but the New York Times has a report today that re-confirms a lot of facts previously reported elsewhere, plus adds a few new bits.
- Apple was trying to get record labels to agree to price cuts so the service could cost only $8 a month, instead of Spotify's $10 a month, but the labels held firm on price so that effort has been scrapped.
- But Apple also won't allow a free tier, as Spotify does.
- Musician Trent Reznor is playing a major role in designing the service, as he told CNET last December. So is Jimmy Iovine, the longtime music industry player who cofounded Beats.
- Apple is also revamping its iTunes Radio service, perhaps with a bigger focus on local stations that match local tastes. Former BBC DJ Zane Lowe is helping out with that project.
- The next version of iOS, which will include the new service, is code-named "Copper." It's probably version 8.4, according to 9to5 Mac.
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