Drake at Coachella.
Credit: WENN.com
The New York Post is reporting that Apple is talking to Drake to serve as a guest DJ for iTunes Radio. The job would come with a $19 million payout.
According to the Post‘s sources, the effort is in preparation for the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference taking place next week. The company wants to be able to offer a three-month free trial of its $10-per-month subscription service. The company would also like record companies to give them the rights to the music for free during that trial period.
Having Drake to curate music for users would be a draw to potential paying customers. Other musicians being considered for an Apple gig are Pharrell and David Guetta.
“The laughable request from the most valuable brand on the planet comes at a time when music buyers might opt to ditch the downloads in order to try a new free offering, creating a potential quarterly revenue shortfall for rights owners,” writes the Post.
It’s also one more indication of just how much the streaming music service industry is heating up. Tidal has been doing its best to get the word out and offer something different from what is already readily available to music lovers. The problem for many companies is getting consumers to pay for a subscription. Many people will listen to a couple of ads if it means they can listen to their music for free. So offering a value-added perk is where it seems companies are turning.
Do you have a favorite streaming service? Which one and why?
