Beats 1 boss Ian Rogers has left Apple
Ian Rogers, former CEO of Beats Music and lead executive for Apple’s Beats 1 radio station, has left the Cupertino-based company a mere two months after the launch of Apple Music.
The news surfaced in a report from the Financial Times, which explained how Rogers’ departure caught colleagues “off guard.” In its report, the publication explained:
News of his departure caught colleagues off guard. He is leaving the west coast to work for a Europe-based company in an unrelated industry, people familiar with the situation said.
Apple confirmed that Mr Rogers was leaving the company but declined to comment further.
As part of the Beats Music executive team, Rogers transferred to Apple once the acquisition of Beats was completed. There, he lead the development of Beats 1, and was responsible for the game-changing hiring Zane Lowe from the BBC’s London-based Radio 1 station.
Ian Rogers and Dr. Dre.
So far, Beats 1 has met with success and acclaim from its user base; offering 24/7 global radio from Los Angeles, New York, and London, it can be accessed free of charge from inside the Music app on devices running iOS 8.4 or later. As a core part of Cupertino’s Apple Music offerings, the continued success of Beats 1 is truly important. As such, Rogers’ surprising departure really is a great loss for Cupertino.
The future of Apple Music could spell more Beats stations, though whether there’s a market for Beats 2 through 5 remains to be seen.
