Apple fans just got a new reason to rejoice. Apple Music head Jimmy Iovine has confirmed that Apple is looking to provide its users with curated and original audio and video content. The company is aggressively looking to make a move in the direction and is working hard to create original content that can be provided to its users so as to create a complete suite of original Apple products and services.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour this weekend, Jimmy Iovine said:
At Apple Music, what we’re trying to create is an entire cultural, pop cultural experience, and that happens to include audio and video,. We’re going to do whatever hits popular culture smack on the nose. We’re going to try.
He also hinted Apple is going to get into TV shows as well, and not just music videos. He was also quote clear on Apple’s proposed policy regarding pricing.
We’re fighting ‘free.’ So a simple utility where, ‘here’s all the songs, here’s all the music, give me $10 and we’re cool,’ is not going to scale.
That’s entirely understandable as Apple follows similar models for it’s other services as well. Currently Apple Music does not offer free of cost content to users (beyond the free trial period, that is) which is unconventional in the music industry within which it competes with the likes of Spotify and Pandora.
When it comes to video, it can be said Apple is only playing catch up. Spotify entered the space last year when it partnered with notable platforms like ESPN, Comedy Central, the BBC, VICE Media, Maker Studios, etc. so as to bring content to it’s iOS and Android apps.
Apple Music is making initial inroads into the content universe. It has surpassed 20 million paid users (in just 17 years of service) and ranks ninth in 2016’s Nielson list of most-used mobile apps. In December last year, Apple TV search got expanded to include 10 more apps, including Apple Music and TBS. A month prior to that development, Apple had inked a deal with cab-aggregator Ola India to make Apple Music available for Ola passengers.
A combination of these developments led to a surge of Apple Services’ revenue growth by a significant 24%, and looking into the future, the growth of original content will only provide greater revenue from new streams for the company.
1 comment