A Trio of Executives Discuss Apple Music’s Future
Three of the guiding forces behind Apple’s streaming service – Zane Lowe, Bozoma Saint John, and Larry Jackson – recently sat down with Complex magazine to discuss Apple Music’s future and more.
A bright future
Jackson, head of content for Apple Music, told the magazine that service has evolved since it’s original introduction 18 months ago:
It’s really interesting that you would even ask a question like that, because it means that we’ve achieved what we set out to achieve initially: Make something that’s the intersection of all things pop-culture. To make it more than just a utility. I like to think of it as a place where the best creative thinkers in music can congregate and come up with different ideas.
Heading up Beats 1 Radio, Lowe said he wants Apple Music to become much more:
If you are deeply serious about music and follow how it evolves, and how it moves into a new era, [you know that] we’re in the middle of that shift. Every day something is changing or moving or evolving for people who love music and entertainment. This is how they will consume it. They will go, “I get that for news, I get that for entertainment, I get that for magazines, I get that for movies, and I get that for music.” We’re lining it up, and it’s building to a tipping point over time.
For her part, marketing leader Saint John said the future is bright Apple Music:
We’re developing something very special and we just want people to pay attention to it. My five-year vision is that I want every single person on the planet to be engaged on Apple Music. I truly believe we’ve created something very, very special. I don’t think anyone else can do this. I will scream from the mountain top until everyone knows.
The entire interview is definitely worth a read if you’re interested in learning more about where the service could be headed. The trio also discuss other topics including advantages and disadvantages of working at Apple and how the team got musicians on board.
Is video the key?
And key differentiator for Apple Music could turn out to be video content. As my colleague Bryan M. Wolfe recently pointed out, a number of signs are pointing to Apple using the service to take on both Spotify and Netflix simultaneously.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Apple is planning to introduce original TV programming “comparable” to HBO’s “Westworld” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Original movies could eventually follow that.
Combining the best of both worlds to create a streaming music and video service would definitely stand out in the marketplace and could help Apple climb to the top of the heap.
