A new music streaming service from Trent Reznor and Beats Music is confirmed for a January 21st launch in the United States, Billboard confirms. The new music service, spearheaded by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, is entering a crowded field that includes Spotify, Rdio, Pandora and more, but hopes to distinguish itself with an intelligently curated edge. Billboard, who were granted beta access, recently shared a step-by-step walkthrough of how the platform works. Highlights include genre-centric radio stations based on taste and editorially curated playlists inspired by mood and setting. If Spotify and Songza had a baby, this would be it.
In an interview for FADER’s October 2013 Trent Reznor Icon Issue, Nine Inch Nails art director Rob Sheridan explained how Reznor got involved with Beats Music as their chief creative officer:
Trent’s experience with creating Nine Inch Nails, not just as a band but also as a brand, as an experience, as a culture, and his business savvy, makes him very adaptable into other situations that require creativity with an understanding of branding and perception and user experience. Jimmy [Iovine] has a tremendous amount of respect for Trent. But when Jimmy initially brought Trent on board at Beats, he was looking at him just as a producer and an audio guy. Saying, “Trent why don’t you come in and check out what we’re doing in here and take a look at some headphones and see how you would improve the sound.” It was by chance then that Jimmy mentioned this other Beats project, this streaming music service. That was something Trent was really interested in, problem solving as it pertains to the music industry and business models. Trent and I have spent a lot of time talking about that previously, so he brought me along and we ended up going in there and turning the whole project upside down with our ideas. Since then, Trent has continued to hold this very high creative role in Beats Music. It’s been interesting to take everything we’ve learned from our experience bringing Nine Inch Nails out into the world, our thinking about what fans want, and apply that to this new situation.
