With services like Spotify, Rdio, and now Google Music All Access, we are certainly not at a loss for music streaming services. Beats, most popular for their line of headphones, seems to think that there is room for another music streaming service and is looking for a way to gain a lot of subscribers immediately. Seeing as most users who are interested in this type of service are all heavily invested in other major offerings, it will take quite a bit of marketing to entice users to switch.
This is where AT&T comes in. Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine has supposedly been in talks with AT&T on potentially bundling the service with the carrier’s data plans. Dubbed “Daisy”, Beats’ service is looking to penetrate the mobile market as that is where the majority of music is consumed.
It is likely to be offered free of charge with your data plan initially, however it seems that they are doing this to only entice users to start paying for the service afterwards. The two companies are reportedly discussing how much free music will be offered and who is likely to pay for it. Offering some music free of charge is obviously essential if they hope to put a dent in the already crowded market.
Daisy was originally conceived after Beats purchased MOG, a popular music subscription service. While MOG will certainly be used as a jumping off point, the service was never particularly popular to begin with. Beats hopes to make up for this by handling the playlist process differently.
With the current services out there today, playlists are generated via algorithms that match music of similar genres together. With Daisy however, Iovine has brought in various DJ’s and other musicians to help give a human influence on the playlist generation. CNET is calling this approach “the highest profile music service to rely so heavily on people to select the music”. In fact, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is set to be the service’s Chief Creative Officer.
The service will also offer something that no other service will offer. It will know your habits and know when you want specific music. Iovine took the stage at D11 this year and compared this service to existing ones, saying: “It’s not in their culture. We will be miles ahead of them. If you are going to the gym five days a week, we know that, and when you wake up, we will have a list for you.”
The potential success of this service is enormous and with the right marketing, might be enough to change the game. Are any of you looking to get a more personalized music experience? Are you unhappy with the current offerings?
Source: CNET