About five years ago, Beats headphones were introduced to the public. Not only did Beats Electronics sell $300 headphones, a feat thought to be impossible, but they also invented a whole new product category: premium headphones.
In the past few months, Beats has taken on a new endeavor attempting to join the extremely competitive subscription music market. While their service, called Beats Music definitely has its work cut out, it seems to be off to a good start. According to paidcontent.org, with a recent new round of investing, Beats Music has now raised approximately $100 million dollars in total funding. To enter a market as competitive as subscription music, and already see success shows that Beats Music is here for the long haul.
The Differentiator
With so many competitors including Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, and Rdio, Beats Music has had to differentiate itself to stand out. For starters, the home screen is completely different, focusing on there new “Just for You” service. “Just for You” offers personalized recommendations based on one’s listening history, and Beats Music was first to introduce this feature.
Beats Music also offers a “Highlights” page where one can find links to music based off recent albums and current events. On top of all of this, for listeners who really like listening to new songs everyday, the new music service offers a a game-like feature called “The Sentence”. In this new feature, one plays a game of word association filling in blank sentences. Based on how these sentences are filled in, Beats Music will craft a playlist based on the type of mood you’re in.
In addition to new product innovations, Beats Music has achieved a fresh interface and sleek design only adding to the experience. And unlike Spotify, they do not interrupt with ads claiming they do not want to ruin anyone’s music experience. The service is also the first to offer a family plan for $15 per month. This deal allows for up to five people and ten devices to be used at one time, which is a phenomenal value in the music subscription market.
Will History Repeat Itself
Now that Beats Music has been released and is in the right direction, the question remains: Is Beats Music another triumph for Beats Electronics? The critics certainly seem to think so. Journalists from big newspapers like The New York Times to smaller tech blogs like appadvice.com have given positive reviews also talking about why they became paying customers.
In the end, in a crowded field like subscription music, it will come down to the marketing to make a difference. And with seasoned veterans and founders of the company, one can bet that Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine will be on point in this area. After all, everything they touch turns to gold, from giant $300 headphones to songs they use in their commercials like “The Man” by Aloe Blacc. Give it a few more months, and it should come as no surprise to see Beats Music on top in the subscription music market.
Have you subscribed to Beats Music? Share your experience in the comments below!
