Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine launched the Beats Music streaming service in January 2014, and about four months later, Apple purchased the entire Beats company for $3.2 billion, the largest purchase in the tech giant's history. It was assumed that Apple's acquisition of Beats signaled that the company intended to align itself with the Beats streaming service, though Apple Music was launched in June of this year, and Beats Music remained its own platform, though still under the Apple umbrella.
Apple has just announced that it will officially shut down Beats Music in two weeks, on November 30. "All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences. 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," reads a message on the Beats Music homepage.
Are there any Beats Music users still out there who will have to undergo the switch? In the months after Apple's acquisition of Beats, Beats Music was all but forgotten, especially as Beats 1 Radio became an integral part of Apple Music. As of last month, Spotify is still the most popular music streaming service, with 20 million paying users to that of Apple Music's 6.5 million, though Spotify has been around since 2008.
And also today, a new player has entered the streaming game: YouTube Music, which, according to early accounts, could be a game changer.
