Beats Music launched to great fanfare on Tuesday, though it evidently didn’t quite anticipate the high level of interest among music fans keen to take the new streaming service for a spin.
Following the launch, reports soon surfaced of issues with signing up, while some of those that did manage to join began experiencing connectivity problems.
Beats Music boss Ian Rogers acknowledged the bumpy start in a service update posted Wednesday, saying, “Due to the extremely high volume of interest in our service, some users are experiencing issues.” He declined to say precisely how many people had successfully registered at launch.
Rogers added that most of those who had managed to sign up to the cross-platform service were unaffected by the problems.
While the behind-the-scenes boffins attempt to overcome the teething problems, the site has decided to hit the pause button for wannabe members.
In his post, Rogers said those who’d already signed up should be able to use the service in the normal way, while those interested in joining are encouraged to download the app and enter their email address. After that, when the service is ready for new users, Beats Music will send out email notifications.
He added that anyone joining this week will have their free period extended by seven days, doubling the initial offer of a week. After the free trial period, users need to pay a $10 monthly subscription to continue using Beats Music, which is currently only available to US-based users.
It’s not the most auspicious start for a service that hopes to take on the likes of established music-streaming giants Spotify and Pandora, but if Beats Music can get its house in order fast, users will soon forget about this early hiccup.
DT’s AJ Dellinger managed to get some time with Beats Music before its day-one wobble. According to his review, it pretty much hits all the right notes, describing it as having “all the makings of a solid streaming service” while managing “to provide a unique feel and approach to how it offers music.”
If you’ve had a chance to try it out, let us know your initial thoughts in the comments below.
Below: Ian Rogers’ service update:
Huge thanks to everyone for making our launch day yesterday so successful. We’ve been blown away by the love that made us the #1 Music App in the iTunes Store.
Due to the extremely high volume of interest in our service some users are experiencing issues. Most people are unaffected but our priority is to give everyone a great experience. We prepared for issues like these, have a plan, and are going to hold off on letting more people in while we put this plan in action.
Those of you who got on board yesterday, please keep using Beats Music. New folks, download the app, register, and we’ll drop you a line as soon as possible inviting you back in. Everyone who registers this week will get an additional seven days added to their trial.
For those of you that claimed your name in the lead up to launch, we still have your username reserved and we’ll be in touch with your invite. We appreciate your support.
We’re staying focused on bringing you the best music experience from the people who know what song comes next. Stay tuned, and thanks for being excited about Beats Music.
ian
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