Apple's Eddy Cue Opens Up About The iTunes Festival And iTunes Radio
October 2, 2013
Apple’s new iTunes Radio service is primarily about helping users listen to the music they love. Another goal is to make it easier for them to discover new albums that are available for streaming, according to Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Internet Software and Services.
Asked by Entertainment Weekly how much influence the success of streaming debuts had on iTunes Radio, Cue noted:
We certainly knew we would leverage it for iTunes Radio but the primary key to iTunes Radio was to create it custom for you. When you’re talking premiering song, what we’re doing iTunes Festival-wise, we knew iTunes Radio was a perfect place for that so it’s perfect alignment.Cue also discussed the success of this year’s iTunes Festival in London, which concluded earlier this week. The executive notes that the 30-day event has been growing on a year-to-year basis. As a result, “it really is special.” Surprisingly, the artists who perform at the festival aren’t paid. He notes, "The primary thing is for them to get close with the fans and get fans to have that experience because over the long term that’s going to help them in every way." You can read Cue’s entire interview at ew.com. The next issue of Entertainment Weekly will include more news about the iTunes Festival and iTunes Radio. See also: Nissan To Be Apple's Exclusive Automative Ad Partner For iTunes Radio, Slacker Radio Makes The Jump To Apple's iOS 7 And Includes A New 'My Vibe' Feature, and Apple's iTunes Radio On The Mac Is Finally Starting To Rock.
