Apple Music gets an upgrade later this year, when Apple’s longstanding plans to inject the service with streaming video content come to fruition. A new version of the app is set to debut alongside the release of iOS 11, which is expected to drop in fall 2017.
As many as ten original series could be available via Apple Music by the end of the year, according to a report from Bloomberg. The company is taking the time to establish content that users will want to see, but there seems to be no shortage of ideas for new shows that are at least tangentially related to the music industry.
We’ve known about several of the concepts that are currently in development for some time. Reality series Planet of the Apps was one of the first projects linked to the company’s ambitions for Apple Music, and a show based on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke skit has been in the works for several months — although the latter has apparently been delayed.
However, there’s plenty more going on behind the scenes. Documentaries on hip-hop labels Cash Money Records and Bad Boy Records are reportedly being hashed out, as well as another about influential producer Clive Davis. There are even rumblings of a follow-up to R. Kelly’s memorable rap opera Trapped in the Closet.
While the focus for now is on music-related content, there are plans to go bigger when the time is right. Jimmy Iovine, the record producer at the helm of Apple Music, has apparently met with Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and Empire producer Brian Grazer to discuss future projects.
Apple clearly has some major aspirations when it comes to streaming video, but content is only one piece of the puzzle. Before Apple Music can compete with other streaming services, the app itself needs to be redesigned to properly accommodate a video library, and those changes will seemingly take effect when iOS 11 hits the scene.
