Apple is rebranding Beats 1 as Apple Music 1, while also launching two new radio stations, the company said Tuesday. Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country will both feature their own exclusive radio shows.
Both new stations launch today, along with the renaming of Beats 1 as Apple Music 1.
Music battle series Verzuz, in which two artists or producers take each other on by playing their hits, is coming to Apple Music and Beats 1.
The first session, pitting hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg against DMX, will air Wednesday, July 22 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Considering how popular the series has been on Instagram Live, this could be a major coup for Apple.
June 30, 2015: Apple launches its Beats 1 24/7 music radio station. Part of Apple Music, Beats 1 features top DJs ranging from former BBC presenter Zane Lowe to big name music artists like Lil Wayne.
Apple claims that Beats 1 is “the biggest radio station in the world” and beats (no pun intended) all other music stations when it comes to concurrent listeners. However, without hard figures to back that up, some have called Apple out on this claim.
Hip hop luminary Lil Wayne, one of the most well-known and respected rappers of the 21st century, is headed to Apple Music!
No, Lil Wayne (or Weezy F. Baby as the kids call him) isn’t debuting an exclusive new album on Apple’s streaming music service. Instead, he’ll be playing host on Young Money Radio, a new show debuting on Beats 1 Friday, April 24 at 7pm EST/4pm PT.
Beats 1 DJs on Apple Music are being forced to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic and while they’re stuck inside, they’re turning to FaceTime to get the job done.
Apple revealed Monday that its radio show hosts will record interviews with musicians and other artists from their homes by using FaceTime on iPhone.
Apple employs a team of people “listening to music and transcribing the lyrics,” says Oliver Schusser, head of Apple Music.
“We don’t get [lyrics] from the usual sites,” Schusser says, explaining that Apple doesn’t trust crowdsourcing to give it the right answers for its new synced lyrics feature.
Former BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra DJ Charlie Sloth has officially joined Apple. The Charlie Sloth Rap Show on Beats 1 starts 12pm PT/3pm ET on Saturday January 19.
“I feel that U.K. music is in a place that it’s never been in my whole time supporting the culture in the way that I have,” Sloth told Beats presenter Zane Lowe in an interview. “I feel that it’s desired in a way it’s never been before globally — and with Apple Music and Beats 1 I feel that I offer something to these artists in the UK that no other platform can offer at the moment.”
Apple is in talks over acquiring a stake in iHeartMedia, according to a new report.
Sources say the company could invest millions of dollars to help save the struggling U.S. radio group, which filed for bankruptcy back in March. However, negotiations are at an early stage for now and no deal has been agreed yet.
Apple has opened a New York studio for its Beats 1 radio station. The new office is located in Manhattan’s Union Square. It joins other broadcasting studios in London and Los Angeles.
“I want this space to represent the sound and energy of New York, and how multicultural this city is,” said Ebro Darden, who hosts a hip hop music-based radio show on Beats 1. Zane Lowe, one of the first DJs to join Beats 1, described it as a “huge moment” for the station. “We are fully functioning in one of the greatest cities in the world now,” he said.
Beats 1 Radio host Zane Lowe says he’s excited that Apple Music’s competitors are starting to rip off his live streaming radio show.
Lowe, who left the BBC’s Radio 1 to lead Beats 1 Radio, said in a recent interview that he still questions how his radio show fits in with the music scene. In the age of social media where artists can interact directly with fans, radio hosts don’t seem like a necessity, but Spotify and YouTube Music are planning to launch radio shows of their own and Lowe is ready to welcome them to the league.
