Beats Music, the long-rumored streaming music service from Beats Audio, will finally be launching within the next few months. The service will be available out of the gate on Android and iOS as well as through the web. Windows 8 support – likely though an app – will arrive at a later date according to president and COO Luke Wood.
It was revealed in August that playlists would be a core component of the new service. Freelancers were reportedly hired to create thousands of playlists based on a particular activity, artist or the general mood of the listener. Wood reiterated this, noting that playlists were how most people consume music.
In general, he said Beats Music would be different as it’s focused more on curation rather than having users blindly search for tracks or artists they might enjoy. He wants the service to really understand the user, who they are, what they are listening to and offer up music based on in-depth personalization.
If you recall, Beats Audio acquired streaming music provider MOG back in July 2012 for $14 million although it’s worth pointing out the acquisition didn’t include MOG’s advertising arm. That asset was later sold to radio broadcasting and media company Townsquare Media.
The streaming music industry as a whole has exploded over the past couple of years. Heavyweights like Pandora, Rhapsody and Spotify continue to push ahead while newcomers such as Microsoft, Google and most recently, Apple, are all jumping in with various twists on the basic model.
