According to a report by the WSJ (subscription required), and backed up by the NY Times, Apple may be setting its sights on the streaming music business. Apple, who already has deep roots and connections with the music industry, is looking to create a new service similar to Pandora and Spotify, where users can pick an artist, song or album and the service would then stream music based on the users input as well as music that may be similar. While Pandora has been using this model for some time, Spotify has only added their streaming “radio” functionality a few months ago.
All signs point to this service as being part of the new iTunes 11 that Apple may reveal at their September 12 event in San Francisco, along with brand new iPods and of course, the new iPhone 5. According to sources close to the situation, the the service would be locked to iOS devices and the Mac, with the possibility of a Windows version in the future. As with most of Apple’s first party products and services, don’t expect this service to arrive on Android devices.
Lastly, if this turns out to be true, it could spell trouble for both Pandora and Spotify, as Apple is rumored to offer the service for free by going with an ad supported revenue method. With Apple’s massive song category, including big excsluvies, like the Beatles, their selection and service may be hard to beat.