Spotify, Deezer and other music streaming services are no doubt waiting in trepidation as Apple prepares to enter their market. The wait just got a little more intriguing with Apple seizing more top talent from BBC Radio.
Just two months after poaching Zane Lowe – one of the U.K.'s most influential DJs – from the BBC, Apple has hunted down four top producers from the venerable British radio station.
One of the producers is reported to be James Bursey, Lowe's old producer at BBC Radio 1. Perhaps more significantly, top producer Kieren Yeates is also thought to be making the move across the Atlantic. Yeates is the executive largely responsible for orchestrating Radio 1's up-and-coming talent program, BBC Introducing.
Another rumored name is Natasha Lynch, producer of the Huw Stephens show, who was named in "The Guardian's Music Power 100" and is well-known for featuring unsigned bands. The four producers are expected to join Apple after the BBC's "Big Weekend" event, which will air on May 23-24.
According to Business Insider, Zane Lowe is responsible for the new hires. Lowe has been given a lot of responsibility at Apple — he has been reportedly contacting musicians and persuading them to create custom radio stations for the service.
Apple is clearly taking the editorial side of its new music service very seriously. As with any new Apple product, customers can expect the new service – iTunes or Beats by Apple or whatever it's called – to be sleeker, shinier and much better than the competition. Hiring respected names from the music industry is a good first step to separate Apple from the competition — and the news won't rest easy with top execs at Spotify and other rivals.
Apple's streaming service is expected to launch in June 2015, possibly at the company's worldwide developer conference WWDC. The company acquired Dr. Dre's music company, Beats, in May 2014 for a reported $3.2 billion.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
