Apple “IRadio” Rumors Resurface. Again.

Ever since I discovered Spotify, iTunes has been neglected in my digital life. The amount I spend on music each month has dropped considerable thanks to being able to listen to whatever I want, whenever I want without spending any extra cash or taking up space on any hard drives.

The only real limit with Spotify is that there are still some big name bands who haven’t allowed their music to be streamed. Music from The Beatles, AC/DC and the Rolling Stones (to name a few) can only be found on iTunes. So, either they have to get off their high horses and join the Spotify revolution, or Apple has to launch a streaming/radio service.

There have been rumors of Cupertino releasing a cloud-based music streaming service ever since we first heard about iCloud.

In the past year the same rumors have cropped up more than once, but the main issue hindering progress is that Apple is yet to convince record labels that it’s a good idea. The latest report (from Investors Business Daily) suggests that progress is being made.

“Consumer behavior (is) increasingly shifting toward access to a music catalog from ownership of specific songs. We expect iRadio to be incorporated into the iTunes iOS app with personalized radio functionality akin to Pandora, integrated with iTunes to purchase music and other music related content such as concert information/tickets/merchandise via Live Nation (LYV) and Ticketmaster.”

We’ll keep an eye on this story as it develops over the next 12 months. Perhaps Apple will release a Pandora-beater this year. Perhaps not. With our favorite fruit company being well renowned for its secrecy, it’s not going to be clear what’s happening until it’s announced at a Keynote presentation.

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