Rumors regarding Apple building a cloud music service started popping up in 2011, with sources claiming the company would beat Google to the punch.  Google launched Google Music, but Apple’s cloud music offering was nowhere to be found.  Rumors about Apple’s cloud music service have once again resurfaced.

The news came from 9to5Mac, which discovered a new set of files in the iPad music app in iOS 6.1. that points to a cloud music service from Apple, dubbed iRadio.  The files included a radio button that resembles the radio icon found in the old version of iTunes for Mac.  The “buy” filename found points to a possible subscription feature.

There’s also a possibility that the iPod nano’s ability to play FM radio as well as music tagging, a feature that allows people to tag music they heard on the radio and buy the tagged music from iTunes, would be the iRadio of the iPad.  The files found on the jailbroken iPad were not found in the iPhone.

Isn’t iTunes enough?

.

So why would Apple launch a cloud music service when it already has iTunes and iCloud? Bloomberg reported last year that sales of digital music in iTunes have significantly decreased, and the company is looking into new avenues to revive interest in buying digital music.  It was also reported that Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group Corp, and Sony Corp’s music division met with Apple to discuss its radio plans.

If Apple did launch a radio or cloud-based music service, would you be interested in it?  There are already a lot of cloud music services that offer thousands and thousands of music, but what could Apple possibly provide that would convince people to stick with their service instead of something like Spotify, or Google Music? Here’s a few reasons why Apple should enhance their devices with a music service.

5 Reasons Apple should Launch a New Radio Service

.

Huge user base

Apple products are available in numerous countries around the globe, and iTunes is already available in 119 countries.  If Apple launches a cloud music service, it would be easy for them to offer the service to more people in different countries, unlike current cloud music services, such as Spotify and Pandora, which have limited reach.

Ties that bind

Unlike most of its competitors, Apple has longstanding relationships with all the major record labels on the market.  That’s allowed Apple to provide the most variety and biggest music catalog in iTunes, and this would be a competitive advantage with a radio music service.  So far Apple’s been able to dictate a very uniform model for music, film and literary media distribution, and the iPhone maker’s likely able to finagle a proper deal for streaming content as well.

Deep roots

Apple already has a dedicated cloud service, iCloud, which makes content available on a number of Apple devices via iTunes.  And with iTunes Match, songs that aren’t downloaded from iTunes are still available in iCloud.  In short, Apple almost has a cloud music service, it’s just lacking a subscription feature.  Even with the Genius feature, Apple can recommend songs you might like based on your previous purchases.

Fanboi loyalty

You can never underestimate the power of loyal minions…er, I mean fans.  If Apple launches its own cloud music service, fanbois would probably consider ditching their Pandora or Spotify subscription because for an Apple service.  This is one of the best opportunities to extend services around its device-ready consumer base, which Apple will need to increasingly leverage as rivals like Samsung continue to level the device playing field.

Another option

Cloud music services offer subscriptions to deliver unlimited music streaming without being bothered by ads.  More people are interested in these services because they have the option of listening to music online or offline, without the need to buy a song or an album, plus it offers a new way to discover more great songs from various artists.  If Apple offers a cloud music service, it can offer free accounts with ads, ad-free paid accounts, plus, the ability to buy music right in the app, making it available on iTunes.

Apple, Google and Amazon are bitterly fighting for the best consumer experience, locking them in on the hardware side with the goal of pushing software offerings like iTunes or Google Play.  A radio music service from Apple could be a way to retain users in the long run.

photo credit: Orange_Beard via photopin cc