So I have this problem….I’ll admit it. Most of the applications on my smart phone are totally as well as completely useless. I download them because it’s all people are talking about on social media (AKA Flappy Bird which I now blame for my high blood pressure) and then stop using them after about a week later. The applications I continually go back to and use on a regular basis seem to be the music based ones. While browsing the app store this weekend, I came across the “Beats Music” app.
This app appealed to me:
1 because it was new
2 I recognized the name “Beats”
3 it was free
As like any new app, there are issues. It seems that glitching, freezing, and issues logging in to one’s account seem to the most common ones. Being in the market only a few weeks, these are the types of issues I would expect a new application to have though. Beats and it’s developers are aware of these issues and are apparently working to fix them in the near future.
The music streaming business is not something new with names like Pandora and Spotify already dominating the market. Beats Music offers users over 20 million tracks to choose from, but at a price. Yes, the application is free to download, but having an account and access to those 20 million songs is not. Pandora and Spotify have free versions of the application which most users are completely content with. Beats Music offers a free 7 day trial. After the 7 days, AT&T users are eligible for a $15/month family plan while all other users pay $10/month for a subscription. This is definitely one of the down sides for me, making some of Beats Music competitors a little more appealing. I mean iTunes Radio is even free…
The interface is one of the better ones I’ve seen, showing lots of pictures, drop down menus, but also user friendly at the same time. Here is a demo of a using scrolling through the app and all of it’s features.
I think Beats Music will do OK. I do not think it will surpass those already dominating the music streaming industry, but I don’t think it will flop either. Having offers such as the AT&T Family Plan as well as the 7 day free trial will attract users. Hopefully within one of the new few upgrades Beats Music has, it will provide users with an experience that no other application out there is able to provide.
I as well am an avid music lover and constantly am using some sort of streaming radio to have music playing almost 24/7 alound me. "Beats Music" sounds interesting and sounds like something I could get into, but as we all are "starving artists" of some kind, I do not like to pay monthly subscriptions. At $10 a month it is a bit high when comparing it to other music straming services. Pandora One is only $3.99 a month and it gives you access to everything Beats does. Even a subscription to Netflix is only $7.99 a month. I think the price point is a bit high to start while being so new. I am skeptical on how well the app will do in the competition with the other music apps. Beats' price point is going ot be one that will turn people away from it to start. I think it will appeal more to the fans of who actually buy the Dr. Dre Beats headphones and listen to more of the "hip-hop" genre. The brand "Beats" itself, has a good following but it is a very specific market. It will be another stream of income for sure but I do not think it will surpass any of their competition at least not yet. Great job on your analysis of it though. It was really cool how you incorporated a demo of a scroll through of the app so we can see how the interface looks!
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