Apple recently struck a deal with audio streaming platform TuneIn to distribute its radio stations outside of its own ecosystem for the first time. This move is viewed as part of Apple’s strategy to diversify its music offerings.
TuneIn stated in a post on X Apple’s six radio stations will be available on its app, which has 75 million monthly active users and is accessible across a range of platforms and devices.
Apple rolled out its first radio station in 2015 and made three additions to the line-up last year. Users could previously only access the stations through a dedicated radio tab within the Apple Music app.
Through the partnership, Apple is attempting to capture a larger share of the digital music market, after losing ground to competitors including Spotify over the past few years.
Wall Street Journal, which first broke news of the deal, cited data from analyst company Midia Research showing Apple’s market share of digital music subscribers fell to 25 per cent at the end of 2024 in the US, down from 30 per cent in 2020.
TuneIn users will be able to listen to the radio stations at no cost and the service will be ad-free, but Apple will prompt users to sign up to Apple Music as part of an ongoing effort to grow its subscriber base.
Source: Mobile World Live
Image Credit: Apple
