back to article Apple's iTunes Radio to launch next month with abundant ads

With the formal launch of iTunes Radio fast approaching, more details have emerged about how Apple plans to make money from its new streaming audio service. The answer, in a nutshell, is advertising. But according to a report in AdAge on Tuesday, Cupertino has planned a multi-pronged approach that could easily give competitors …

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  1. Don Jefe
    Happy

    iTunes Radio To Launch With Abundant Ads

    Looks kinda like they've already started...

    1. LarsG

      Re: iTunes Radio To Launch With Abundant Ads

      It will be interesting to see if they pack it with so many ads that it only becomes usable if you pays your fee?

    2. Tom 38
      FAIL

      Re: iTunes Radio To Launch With Abundant Ads

      Did you even read the article? A precis:

      Cupertino plans to serve up an audio ad about once every 15 minutes and no more than one video ad per hour.

      By comparison, Pandora now serves [...] eight to 12 ads per hour [...]"

      Traditional commercial radio stations [...] around 13 minutes per hour

      1. Rukario

        Re: iTunes Radio To Launch With Abundant Ads

        One video ad per hour

        You can skip this ad in 59 minutes 58 seconds... 59 minutes 57 seconds...

  2. Pete Spicer

    Given the whole 'it's ad free if you have iTunes Match', you might be surprised to see how many people use that instead...

  3. Richard Jones 1
    FAIL

    Great, (Cr)apple launch the iDon't-Want-it-service

    a) Its from them

    b) It will be stuffed with ads for things I do not care about

    c) Bang goes your usage limit with poo videos

    d) Its likely second rate so called 'music'

    Pass along nothing to see here.

    1. Henry Blackman

      Re: Great, (Cr)apple launch the iDon't-Want-it-service

      You're funny, but clearly don't get out much.

      My advice? Jump up and down screaming 'I hate Apple, I hate Apple'. Be as dramatic as possible based on no facts.

      Like I said, funny guy.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Great, (Cr)apple launch the iDon't-Want-it-service

      What's a usage limit?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Great, (Cr)apple launch the iDon't-Want-it-service

      "c) Bang goes your usage limit with poo videos"

      Are Apple going to be distributing a certain type of German porn now?!

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It'll be very hard for it to be worse than US radio stations

    Let alone US TV stations, which are unwatchable without use of a DVR to skip the 20 minutes or so of advertising per hour. Speaking as an American, you couldn't have shocked me unless you said Apple was going to have more than one minute of advertising per minute of songs. Well, no, even that couldn't shock me, Americans are pretty much used to being bombarded with advertising every waking moment, and I'm sure somewhere there are mad scientists trying to work out how to beam ads into our dreams.

    iTunes Match is only $25/yr, and many iTunes users will have already subscribed to it anyway. The ad filled version will be a teaser, anyone who wants to use it very much would pay for it as with even a half hour listening a day you're paying less than a penny per ad free song. Those who don't like it can use Pandora, Spotify, etc. as those aren't going away even if iTunes Radio is used by 99% of iPhone owners.

  5. Slik Fandango
    Happy

    Looking forward to it...

    No - really I am!

    I use iTunes Match to keep my home server and devices upto date, and it means I have my entire collection with me when I am in a place with wifi (my choice not to use 3G for this). This is ideal when my girlfriend suddenly decides she wants to listen to Keane's back catalogue whilst driving back from somewhere...

    What I like about the iTunes Radio (from the reports) is that I can choose a channel to listen to - in my case probably 80s / Electronica. So with iTunes Match there will be no ads, and you don't have to listen to 'second rate so called music' if you don't want to!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Looking forward to it...

      I see you've already been down voted for daring to express like for an Apple product.

      I use iTunes Match too and as you say it's fantastic for giving you access any old bit of random music in your collection. It took an ice age for all my custom ripped MP3s to upload to their servers but now it's all there I can get at it whenever/wherever I want (especially with Three's all-you-can-eat data plan!)

      It will definitely be interesting to see what sort of selection Apple have on their radio stations, I'll definitely be hitting the '80s channel too!

  6. strangefish
    Holmes

    "Apple does have one major advantage over Pandora, however. Its iTunes Store gives iTunes Radio listeners the option of buying copies of songs or albums so that they can listen to them whenever they want. In fact, music sales are thought to be the biggest revenue opportunity for Apple's streaming service "

    I forget where we left the story...does the 'music industry' now believe free music generates sales or not?

  7. VinceH
    Coat

    Optional

    "Each of these partners has reportedly been granted exclusivity within their respective industries through the end of 2013 – so don't expect to hear any ads for Coke products on iTunes Radio before next year. Ad industry snoops say the minimum buy-in for one of these coveted slots was around $1m."

    Wait! What? They paid $1m for exclusivity for the period from somewhere at the end of December until midnight on the 31st, possibly into the start of January?

  8. Ross K Silver badge
    Gimp

    Gee Apple, How Original!

    The other day we read about Apple getting into the TV market, and now (internet) radio?

    Have an original idea, why don't ya?

  9. GrandpaChris
    Thumb Down

    Deal with bands for radio channels

    If this is the new Apple Inc way then loose me if its not Glenn Miller.

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