Apple Music execs discuss the future of music streaming

By

Bozoma Saint John
Bozoma Saint John is in charge of hyping Apple Music.
Photo: Apple

The future of Apple Music will be a lot less focused on music and more about pop culture, according to three of Apple’s top employees working on the project.

Beats One DJ Zane Lowe, marketing guru Bozoma Saint John and Apple Music’s head of content, Larry Jackson, sat down for a three-headed interview to discuss what fans can expect from the streaming service. Music will always be part of Apple Music, but Lowe revealed that other forms of entertainment are coming soon.

“Every day something is changing or moving or evolving for people who love music and entertainment. This is how they will consume it,” Lowe told Complex. “They will go, ‘I get that for news, I get that for entertainment, I get that for magazines, I get that for movies, and I get that for music.’ We’re lining it up, and it’s building to a tipping point over time.”

Apple Music goes beyond the beat

Apple Music launched nearly 18 months ago and has already seen some big changes. Beside giving the streaming service a full UI revamp with iOS 10, Apple also added more video content. The company also plans to launch its own shows on the service.

Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke are set to be two of Apple’s first shows. They will be available later this year and, according to Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Apple is pursuing other amazing content opportunities too.

By weaving music, video and pop culture all into one platform, Apple Music aims to be something like a modern version of MTV, back when the cable channel still played music videos. Rather than just copying Spotify and Tidal, Apple’s brass is trying to make something no one is expecting.

“My five-year vision is that I want every single person on the planet to be engaged on Apple Music,” said Saint John. “I truly believe we’ve created something very, very special. I don’t think anyone else can do this.”

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