iTunes Radio
From John Gruber
Tyler Hayes on iTunes Radio:
The design and goal is clearly focused on listeners purchasing music — but even so, iTunes Radio feels like the first truly modern take on what terrestrial radio wishes it could be. Radio was always meant to be a promotion tool, a way to sell more music, but without being built directly on top of the world’s biggest music retailer, it was always too distant from the marketplace to be more effectual. Now a “buy” button lives next to every song, or a wish list one for those hesitant, and it feels like this is how modern radio should function.
Agreed; iTunes Radio is well-done and well-designed. I’m a little surprised Apple is making everyone wait for iOS 7 to get it.
I, on the other hand, am absolutely not surprised that Big Media is refusing to allow this product to operate in more than one market.
Once again they’ll need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into a worldwide rollout. Once again this will not be possible until the absolute maximum amount of positive evidence has been provided by Apple.
And once again they’ll doubtless choose to keep Canada out of the deal for as long as possible so it can act as a proxy for ‘what the US market would be like’ to gainsay any evidence.