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End of an era: Apple shutters Beats Music for good

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apple shutters beats music for good
Almost a year and a half after Apple made its official pitch for Beats Electronics, the tech giant has announced it will finally be shutting down the original Beats Music streaming service on November 30. A statement on the Beats Music website encouraged current subscribers to switch to Apple Music, where they’ll be able to transfer “picks and preferences” to Apple’s new music streamer.

Beats Music was considered to be one of the primary reasons Apple chose to acquire Beats Electronics for $3 billion in May 2014, using the streaming service as a foundation to be mixed with iTunes and create its new Spotify competitor.

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“All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences,” said Beats’ Dale Bagwell in a statement to Beats Music subscribers. “Plus, on Apple Music, you’ll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist, and more.”

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Beats Music launched in January 2014, three months before Apple moved to acquire the service. It quickly became apparent that Apple was planning on merging Beats Music with its own streaming service iTunes Radio, although Apple Music wasn’t able to launch until more than a year later in June of 2015. Beats Music execs Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Trent Reznor are now part of the Apple Music family.

In its first three and a half months, Apple Music has garnered 6.5 million paying subscribers at $10 per month, and 8.5 million additional users taking advantage of the service’s three month free trial, according to Tim Cook.

In comparison, streaming market leader Spotify has accumulated 20 million paid subscribers and 75 million total users since its 2008 launch (and 2011 US launch). According to one study, though, Apple Music is reaching a bit of a different market than its competitors: people over the age of 35 were twice as likely to pay for the streamer after the end of its three month free trial.

As Variety notes, Apple is likely retiring Beats Music this week to coincide with Apple Music’s new compatibility with Android devices.

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Chris Leo Palermino
Chris Leo Palermino
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…
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