Last month Apple was rumored to be looking for a way to shut down the current version of the Beats Music streaming service that it acquired as part of the Beats Electronics deal, though the claim of a shutdown was quickly shot down in favor of an upcoming rebranding effort.
Today Re/code has revealed a bit more about Apple’s plans for the new service, which is expected to be revealed in February, according to some reports. According to Re/code, Apple wants to cut the price of the streaming service below the current $10 mark, and it’s asking music companies to cut a special deal on licensing rights to accomplish that.
The report says that the company has also asked for a list of other features and changes they’d like music providers to make in order to help create a better music streaming service. There aren’t a whole lot of details at this point about how Apple will change Beats Music, aside from cutting the price, although many users would argue that perhaps the service doesn’t need that many changes to be successful, especially at less than $10 a month.
Apple’s own iTunes Radio doesn’t currently offer any on-demand components, relying instead on free, radio-style playlists backed by advertisements. The move to add an optional subscription service would finally put it in line with competitors like Spotify.
