Apple renamed its Beats 1 radio station to Apple Music 1 and added two new radio stations to the Apple Music lineup.
The Beats 1 radio station was Apple’s flagship global radio station when it fist introduced Apple Music in 2015. The station will still have the same live radio content under its new name.
“For the past five years, if ever there was a meaningful moment in music culture, Beats 1 was there bringing human curation to the forefront and drawing in listeners with exclusive shows from some of the most innovative, respected, and beloved people in music,” said Oliver Schusser, vice president of Apple Music, Beats, and International Content, in a statement.
The newly renamed station will offer a lineup of shows from artists like Billie Eilish, Elton John, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Travis Scott, and more.
Along with Tuesday’s announcement, Apple also introduced two new radio stations to its Apple Music lineup: Apple Music Hits and Apple Music Country.
Apple Music Hits will feature hit songs from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s. Apple Music Country will showcase country artists from today and those who helped shape the past genre. The new radio station will also feature exclusive shows from artists such as Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, and more.
In a time when there are plenty of music streaming services to choose from, it looks like Apple is trying to stand out from its competitors by shifting the focus to live radio shows mixed in with the music.
Meanwhile, Spotify, Apple’s biggest competitor, seems to be focusing on expanding its podcast repertoire, and will even play host to Joe Rogan’s popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, at the end of the year.
